Industry Advisory Board

BA ‘00

Director, Human Resources, Wellbeing and Safety, People & Performance, Department of Human Services

Nicole is a highly motivated and experienced human resources and wellbeing and safety leader and has predominately been working within the SA Government.

She has a broad skill set in business partnering, coaching, culture and change, employee engagement, employee relations, and wellbeing and safety. Nicole is a strategic thinker and well-rounded leader with qualifications focused in human resources, psychology, politics and management.

She is an active member in across government committees and avidly takes the opportunity to build networks to learn and grow her knowledge and apply this in her roles.

Finding and creating ways to improve employee workplace experience and ensuring employees are supported in an ever changing and often challenging environment is what gives her great satisfaction in her career. 

BA’74, BA(Hons) ’75

CEO & Artistic Director, Adelaide Festival Centre

Member of Flinders University Council

Douglas is the CEO and Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival Centre. Since joining in 2006, he has initiated a major ‘program-led’ revival which has increased audiences and positioned the Centre as a hub for Asian-Australian cultural engagement.

He has international experience in media, tourism and the arts, including as Director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Director of Corporate Affairs of STAR TV and Head of Music and Arts for Radio Television Hong Kong. He was also founding Vice-Chairman of the Asian Arts Festival Association and a Board Member of the Asian Cultural Council (Rockefeller Foundation).

Douglas’ current Board positions include Chair of Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres, Member of the Flinders University Council, Adelaide UNESCO City of Music Board, Australia-Singapore Arts Group, Global Cultural Districts Network Board, and National Foundation for Australia-China Relations Advisory Board.

In 2016 Mr Gautier was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to arts administration through leadership roles with a range of institutions, to tertiary education, and to the community.

Mr Gautier is a recipient of a Flinders Distinguished Alumni Award and was featured in the Flinders 50 Creatives exhibition in 2016.

Executive Director, Australian Dance Theatre

Nick has worked in Australia’s cultural sector for more than 20 years, commencing with Australian Dance Theatre as Executive Director in January 2020. Most recently he was at The Australian Ballet in Melbourne as a senior member of its Philanthropy team, as well as at Arts Centre Melbourne and Heide Museum.

Nick is currently on the Boards of Feast Festival, Writers SA and Arts Industry Council of SA. Previous Board appointments include Chair of Melbourne-based independent theatre company, Rawcus, a board member of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria and Deputy Chair of Dancehouse Melbourne, one of the pre-eminent centres for contemporary dance practice and research in Australia. In 2023 Nick completed the Governor’s Leadership Foundation Program, through the SA Leadership Institute.

General Manager, Channel 44

General Manager of Channel 44 Lauren Hillman has over 17 years of screen and media industry experience. Recently, in collaboration with Channel 31 Melbourne, Lauren spearheaded the rollout and launch of the new national community TV streaming platform and app TV+. Lauren is also on the national community broadcasting roundtable sector delegation.

Lauren's factual TV producing credits for ABC TV include Gardening Australia, Restoration Australia-Series 1, Poh's Kitchen, Poh's Kitchen On The Road, Poh's Kitchen Lends a Hand, Christmas with Poh, Maggie Beer's Christmas Feast, Dream Build, Cook and the Chef and Talking Heads. In 2014, Lauren wrote, directed and produced observational documentary series The Daters for ABC TV, currently streaming on ABC iview, and co-produced international award winning 2020 documentary series, You Are Not Alone, supported by Screen Australia and the SAFC.

In 2015 Lauren was the series producer of the Channel Nine Team Kids Easter Appeal, the first and only 6.5 hour live event of its kind in over 30 years in SA, raising more than $2.2 million for the WCH foundation. Lauren has also produced three award winning, sold out Adelaide Fringe shows with Annabel Crabb, Leigh Sales, Adam Liaw, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, former MP the Hon Christopher Pyne and former Senator Nick Xenophon, and produced Brooke Boney and Tilda Cobham-Hervey's In Conversation show for Adelaide Fringe 2020.

In 2018 Lauren was named as one of Adelaide's inaugural top 40 Under 40 business leaders.

BA ‘83

Principal Partner/Producer, Dancing Road Productions

Helen Leake AM, Producer. One of Australia’s most experienced producers with producing credits that include WOLF CREEK 2, which topped the Australian box office in its opening week, SWERVE featuring Jason Clarke, BLACK AND WHITE starring Robert Carlyle and Charles Dance, a film festival favourite as was the cult status film HEAVEN’S BURNING with Russell Crowe. Helen has a reputation for completing projects on time and on budget and her films have been invited to over thirty prestigious film festivals, including Venice, Toronto (twice), London (twice), Sydney (opening film), Melbourne (twice) and Pusan. Helen also contributes to industry organisations, including as CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation (2004-07), Chair of the Australian International Documentary Conference (2007 -2012), the Australian Film Commission Board (1998-04) and Board member of Ausfilm (2004-07). In 2020 Helen Leake was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours, for significant service to film and to professional organisations. Helen was appointed to the board of Screen Australia in June 2021.

Head of Collections, The History Trust of SA

Mandy Paul is Head of Collections at the History Trust of South Australia. Mandy brings to her work over three decades in the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) sector and as a professional historian.

Understanding and sharing complex and contested histories has been a thread running through her career, informing her work as a social history curator, museum director and collections manager, and as a consultant historian on native title claims in jurisdictions across Australia.

Mandy holds postgraduate qualifications in history and museum studies and has published widely on Australian social history, museology, and the intersection of history and law in native title.

She is currently a Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Humanities at the University of Adelaide and a Partner Investigator on two ARC Linkage projects: ‘Reconciling with the Frontier: Accounting for Colonial Conflict’ and  ‘LGBTQ Migrations: Life Story Narratives in the South Australian GLAM Sector’. 

Stephen Smith

Local Government of SA

Stephen Smith is an experienced urban and regional planning and senior executive with over forty years’ experience in both local and regional government, he has both undergraduate and post graduate degrees in Planning and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

Stephen’s career has seen him spend 15 years in local government both in the UK and South Australia. Between 2000 and 2016, Stephen worked with the Onkaparinga Catchment Water Management Board and the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board, as a General Manager and Director.  Stephen guided the development of the first NRM Plan in South Australia which was recognised with a State and National Planning awards.

Before semi retiring and establishing his own business Stephen worked with the Local Government Association of SA as a Director, supporting the LGA in the areas including economic development, climate change and waste management and leading the LGA’s role with local government with the planning reforms and the implementation of the new PDI Act and P and D Code.

Stephen currently chairs a number of Council and Regional Planning Assessment Panels across the State.

Stephen is a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia and current South Australia Director on the Planning Institute of Australia Board and in 2017 was recognised as the South Australian Planner of the Year.

BA ‘95

Director, Teaching & Learning Strategy, Asia, Microsoft

Mr Tierney is an Education industry sales leader with over 15 years’ experience in Asia-Pacific region, including 3 years working with Microsoft's Worldwide Education Team to deliver programs to over 100 countries.

His current role sees him responsible for the development and execution of education strategy (K-12, Post-secondary), teaching and learning for Asia.

His career includes 18 years as an education thought leader and change management specialist. Sean’s background also includes classroom teaching (primary and secondary), lecturing at university (school of business MBA level), adult education and training (online and face to face), school leadership, and senior manager for large department of education. 

Sean is also a Co-founder of BOUNCEinc Trampoline Parks.