New Leadership Appointments at the ARDC

The ARDC has recently undergone an organisational restructure in order to best position us to deliver our Thematic Research Data Commons strategy. This has provided opportunities for changes to some roles and team structures. We’re pleased to announce the following appointments to our Senior Leadership Team.

Dr Adrian Burton is now Deputy CEO and Director, People Research Data Commons. Adrian was previously Director, Data Policy and Services, and held the position of Director at one of the ARDC’s predecessor organisations, the Australian National Data Service (ANDS), for 10 years.

Dr Sheida Hadavi has been appointed Director, Translational Research Data Challenges. Sheida has led the development of our Bushfire Data Challenges and Food Security Data Challenges.

Keith Russell has been appointed Director, Outreach. Keith was formerly the Manager, Engagements and Expertise at the ARDC and ANDS.

Natasha Simons has been appointed Director, National Coordination. Natasha was previously the Associate Director, Data & Services at the ARDC. She has led a number of national programs and has achieved consensus on national and international standards in data policy and persistent identifiers.

Benedict (Ben) Chiu has been appointed Director, Services. He will be joining the ARDC in early August to take up his new position. Ben will be joining the ARDC from the Australian Conservation Foundation where for the last 3 years he has been the Head of Data & Technology (CIO). Ben is also a member of the CSIRO Data61’s National Artificial Intelligence Centre Think Tanks.

Dr Emma Crott is now Chief of Staff and Company Secretary. She previously held the positions of Manager, Office of the CEO, and Executive Officer at ARDC. Prior to joining the ARDC, Emma was a postdoctoral fellow at UNSW Art and Design.

Dr Andrew Treloar is now Director, International Strategy for the ARDC. Andrew previously served as Director, Platforms and Software at the ARDC, following 10 years at ANDS in a variety of roles, most recently as the Director of Technology.

They join our other Senior Leadership team members:

• Rosie Hicks, CEO
• Hamish Holewa, Director, Planet Research Data Commons
• Jenny Fewster, Director, HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons
• Matt Dailey, Chief Operating Officer

Learn more about the ARDC’s Senior Leadership Team.

The ARDC is funded through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.