Will Hodgman joins Singapore-based fintech

Tasmania’s former premier Will Hodgman has joined fintech and digital assets manager Trovio after serving as Australia’s High Commissioner to Singapore for the past two and a half years.

Mr Hodgman joins the Singapore-based company – which merged with Sydney-based digital asset manager and adviser TCM capital in 2021 – as a senior corporate adviser.

During Mr Hodgman’s tenure as High Commissioner, Australia signed a Green Economy and Digital Economy Agreement with Singapore. Products include digital registries and blockchain platforms.

Trovio CEO Jon Deane said the company is delighted to welcome Hodman given his “experience and insight on the global transition to net zero”.

Hodgman said that “growing the green and digital economy in the transition to a net zero future has been at the forefront of my work in government and I am hugely energized by the prospect of now working with a team that shares this vision.” .

Program Manager at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Synthetic Startup Accelerator SynBio10x, Dr Jason Whitfield, has been seconded to CSIRO-founded deep technology investment fund Main Sequence.

He will work as an advisor, splitting his time with his work at UNSW Founders. He will support Main Sequence partner Gabrielle Munzer who was promoted last September to increase the fund’s focus on scaling synthetic biology solutions.

Main Sequence senior associates Alezeia Brown and Jun Qu have also been appointed as investment managers.

The NSW Defense Innovation Network has appointed Sophie Calabretto as its new Assistant Director. She replaces Marc West, who was in the role for three years.

Ms Calabretto had been seconded from the Defense Science and Technology Group where she was scientific adviser on the NAVIGATE programme, which seeks to provide a pathway for mid-career scientists and technologists into defence.

Former Labor shadow minister for the environment and water Terri Butler has taken on several board positions. Ms Butler has been interim chair of the bid to establish a Waste to Wealth Cooperative Research Center since January and joined the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Alliance of Australia and New Zealand as chair in March.

Australian Public Service Commissioner Peter Woolcott will retire on May 10 after four decades in public service. This included roles as Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Australia’s Chief Negotiator on the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and Australian Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.

Woolcott became APS commissioner after serving as former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s chief of staff between 2017 and 2018.

Recently minted New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has announced the resignation of three secretaries in the departments of finance and education, as well as in Transport for NSW.

Finance Minister Paul Grimes, Education Secretary Georgina Harrison and Transport for NSW Secretary Rob Sharp will step down from their roles. The new Acting Transport Secretary for NSW will be Howard Collins and the new Education Secretary will be Murat Dizdar, starting on 15 April.

Minns also announced the separation of the Department of Premier and Cabinet into “The Cabinet Office” and a new separate “Premier’s Department”, as well as considering ending the cluster model, which will be implemented from 1 July.

Over the next three months, Peter Duncan will act as Acting Secretary of the DPC to lead the transition and establishment of the new entities, replacing current Secretary Michael Coutts-Trotter, who will become Acting Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Two new board appointments have been made to the NDIA board. This is Autism Association of Western Australia CEO Joan McKenna Kerr and Chair of Darwin Waterfront Corporation and Australia Day Council Northern Territory Dr Richard Fejo.

Ms McKenna Kerr has previously served on the NDIS Independent Advisory Council and as a member of the Commonwealth NDIS Advisory Group reporting to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Select Council of Ministers and Treasurers. Dr Fejo is a Larrakia man who lives with a disability and also sits on the International Relations Committee for the City of Darwin. They fill the vacancy left by Glenn Keys and outgoing NDIA board member Professor Jane Burns.

Do you know more? Contact James Riley by email.