Dr
Don Russell
Chief Executive of the Department of State Development
In office
30 June 2014 – 13 February 2017
Secretary of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
In office
1 June 2011 – 14 December 2011
Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education
In office
14 December 2011 – 25 March 2013
Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education
In office
25 March 2013 – 18 September 2013
15th Ambassador of Australia to
the United States
In office
22 August 1993 – 1 December 1995
Preceded byMichael Cook
Succeeded byJohn McCarthy
Personal details
NationalityAustralia Australian
Alma materLondon School of Economics
Australian National University
Flinders University
OccupationPublic servant

Dr Donald Russell is a former senior Australian public servant and administrator. He is currently the Chairman of AustralianSuper,[1] Australia's largest superannuation fund.

Education

Don Russell has a PhD from the London School of Economics, a Masters of Economics from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Economics with first-degree honours from Flinders University.[2]

Career

Russell joined the Australian Public Service as a Cadet in the Department of the Treasury.[3]

Between 1985 and 1993, Russell was principal advisor to then Treasurer Paul Keating.[4]

In 1993, Russell was named Ambassador to the United States, based in Washington. He returned to Canberra in 1995 to again work as Principal Adviser to Paul Keating, by then Prime Minister, ahead of the 1996 federal election.[5][6] Shortly after the Australian Government announced that Russell would be returning to Australia, Russell made comments criticising the Opposition. This led Shadow Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to denounce his actions and call for him to step down immediately.[7]

Between 1997 and 2000, Russell worked for the research and money management firm Sanford C. Bernstein in New York.[8] In 2001 he returned to Sydney and took a position with WestLB Asset Management (WestAM).[9] In January 2008, State Super (NSW) appointed Russell as Independent Chairperson. Russell worked at BNY Mellon Asset Management Australia as Global Investment Strategist until March 2010.[8]

Russell was appointed to the role of Secretary of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research in June 2011.[10] He managed the Department through several changes of function and Minister as it transitioned to become first the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education and later the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.[11]

From November 2011 to November 2012, Russell was a director on the Board of the CSIRO, an Australian Government science and research organisation.[12][13]

He was one of three public servant heads to be sacked by the incoming Abbott government in September 2013,[14] most likely due to his time as Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating's senior adviser.[15]

In June 2014 his appointment to head the South Australia Department of State Development was announced,[16] and he formally commenced work on 4 August.[17] On his appointment, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill praised his 'strong apprehension of how Government can leverage investment and develop the skills required by industry'.[18] In the role, Russell is tasked with leading his department to guide industry, business and communities identify and capitalise upon opportunities for job creation and economic growth.[19]

Since 2015, Russell has been a member of the South Australia and the Northern Territory State Advisory Council for the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).[20]

Following the March 2018 SA General Election, the victorious Marshall government announced that Russell would be replaced in his public service role.[21]

Resources sector advocacy

In his first public address as Chief Executive of South Australia's Department of State Development Russell advocated for the growth of the state's resources sector. He told a mining conference in Whyalla that 'a growing number of successful mines (will) create a virtuous circle supporting an expanding array of industry-backed research initiatives along with exploration and mining service companies.' He described the new department's roles to include ensuring that universities 'turn world-class research into commercial results' and that the current regulatory framework is retained in order to facilitate new investment into the state.[22] The South Australian government subsequently announced that 'Unlocking the full potential of South Australia’s resources, energy and renewable assets' was its top economic priority.[23]

Awards

Russell received the 1995 Flinders University Convocation Medal.[24] In 2005, Russell was added to the distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame of the Faculty of Economics and Commerce at the Australian National University.[24] He has held the Chartered Financial Analyst designation (CFA) since 2007.[8]

References

  1. ^ Keating's former adviser Don Russell new chair of Australian Super, 26 September 2019
  2. ^ Don Russell: UTS Occasional Address, University of Technology Sydney, archived from the original on 14 May 2013
  3. ^ Dr Don Russell, CFA (PDF), Australian Centre for Financial Studies, archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2012
  4. ^ Grose, Simon (October 2011), "It's not a party, Don", Australasian Science Magazine, archived from the original on 31 July 2012
  5. ^ Dunnin, Alex (2 June 2011), Russell heads back to Canberra, archived from the original on 4 June 2011
  6. ^ Keating, Paul (16 October 1995). "Dr Don Russell" (Press release). Archived from the original on 11 January 2015.
  7. ^ McPhedran, Ian (18 October 1995). "Ambassador warns Australians not to vote for the Coalition". The Canberra Times. p. 3.
  8. ^ a b c Heithersay, Paul (31 July 2014). "South Australia Minerals & Resources Overview" (PDF). Government of South Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  9. ^ Natarajan, Niki (23 July 2001). "WestAM hires former adviser to Australian prime minister". Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  10. ^ Gillard, Julia (1 June 2011). "Departmental Secretaries" (Press release). Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
  11. ^ Bartos, Stephen (11 September 2013). "Off with their heads! Which civil servants will lose their posts?". Crikey. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013.
  12. ^ Carr, Kim (20 October 2011). "New appointment to CSIRO Board" (Press release). Archived from the original on 3 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Don Russell". LinkedIn. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  14. ^ Towell, Noel (18 September 2013). "Three public service department heads sacked by Abbott government". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014.
  15. ^ Malone, Paul (3 March 2013). "Abbott PS purge on the cards". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
  16. ^ Towell, Noel (31 July 2014). "Axed public servants head south". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 6 August 2014.
  17. ^ "Former US Ambassador to lead new State Development Department" (PDF). Department of State Development. Government of South Australia. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2015.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ Baldwin, Jack (30 June 2014). "Leading economic strategist and former US Ambassador named head of State Development Department". The Lead. Archived from the original on 21 September 2014.
  19. ^ Department of State Development, About Us, South Australian Government, archived from the original on 22 August 2014
  20. ^ "CEDA Annual Report 2015" (PDF). p. 49. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.((cite news)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ^ "Senior heads roll under new SA Liberal Government". ABC News. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  22. ^ Russell, Christopher (3 September 2014). "BHP Billiton asset president Darryl Cuzzubbo says Olympic Dam to get better before it's bigger". The Advertiser. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  23. ^ "Economic Priorities - Unlocking the full potential of South Australia's resources, energy and renewable assets" (PDF). Economic Priorities. Government of South Australia. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  24. ^ a b Don Russell, University of Melbourne, 2009, archived from the original on 13 February 2014, retrieved 23 March 2014
Government offices Preceded byMark Paterson Secretary of the Department of Innovation, Industry,Science and Research 2011 Succeeded byHimselfas Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation,Science, Research and Tertiary Education Preceded byHimselfas Secretary of the Department of Innovation, Industry,Science and Research Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation,Science, Research and Tertiary Education 2011 – 2013 Succeeded byHimselfas Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation,Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education Preceded byHimselfas Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation,cience, Research and Tertiary Education Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation,Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education 2013 Succeeded byGlenys Beauchampas Secretary of the Department of Industry Preceded byBlair Comleyas Secretary of the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Diplomatic posts Preceded byMichael Cook Australian Ambassador to the United States 1993 – 1995 Succeeded byJohn McCarthy
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