Chair - Nikki Govan
Nikki owns and manages the nationally renowned Star of Greece restaurant in Port Willunga.
In addition to her role at Business SA as Chair of the Board, she is a director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Nikki is a member of the Training and Skills Commission in SA and chairs the Food, Wine, Tourism & Hospitality Industry Skills Council.
She is also the Chair, Adelaide Economic Development Agency and Chair, Events Advisory Group.
Nikki has an impressive pedigree in destination marketing in Melbourne and Adelaide, has developed several start-up ventures and has extensive experience in membership and not-for-profit business.
For many years, she ran her own marketing company See More Solutions (a play on her maiden name of Seymour-Smith) with clients that included Southcorp Wines, Department of Trade and Economic Development, Novotel Barossa Valley Resort, Magic Millions and BHP Building Products.
Nikki has served on a number of boards including the Technology Industry Association, Australian Red Cross (SA), Volleyball SA, the South Australian Motorsport Board and the Adelaide Convention and Tourism Authority.
Nikki has a Bachelor of Business (Tourism) and a Diploma of Laws.
Deputy Chair - David O'Loughlin
David has over 20 years Senior Marketing Strategy experience working abroad on some of the world’s most iconic brands including Walt Disney, Apple , Toyota, Singapore Airlines and eBay
After six years in Sydney and seventeen years away from home, David decided to return to Adelaide and took up the position of Director, Marketing and Communications with the South Australian Tourism Commission. Here, with a rejuvenated approach to destination marketing, he launched highly awarded and recognised integrated campaigns for Kangaroo Island - Let Yourself Go, Barossa - Be Consumed, Adelaide - Breathe, the much loved regional ‘Best Backyard’ campaign and the content driven ‘Through Local Eyes’ campaign.
Further to his role with the SATC and at the request of the Premier, David was seconded to the Economic Development Board as a key consultant in the development of South Australia’s new state brand, overseeing the research, design and launch of the brand prior to the creation of Brand SA.
In 2014, David left the SATC to re-join the private sector as a Partner and Strategy Director at KWP! Here he leads strategy for national brands like Coopers, Yalumba, the RAA, the SATC, the Motor Accident Commission, Peoples Choice Credit Union and Federal Government to name a few.
David is a passionate South Australian. Having lived both interstate and abroad he is in the enviable position to both see the state’s greatest assets from afar, but also understand the nuances that hold our community back from the greatness that has been such a fundamental part of our cultural and economic development to date.
Cathy Miller
Cathy Miller has had an extensive and successful career in the health, disability, aged are and human services sector including the last 14 years in the not for profit /charity sector.
With over 26 years at the CEO level and with over 24 years Board experience she brings significant governance, leadership, corporate and not for profit expertise to Business SA.
An inaugural member and driver of the Business SA Human Services Chapter she is driven to ensure this sector’s significant contribution to the SA economy is recognized and their interests represented.
As State Chair and a Director of the National Disability Service she is able to drive National impact in the not for profit sector. As a Director of Workability International she is committed to increasing economic participation of people with disability throughout the world.
Cathy is currently, CEO and Director of The Torrens Foundation Limited trading as Access4u, a not for profit whose charitable purpose is to advocate and, assist National Disability Insurance Scheme participants have their needs met and utilize their funded plans.
Previous roles include CEO, Minda Incorporated, Minda Housing and SA Group Enterprises. CEO Southern Adelaide Health Service, CEO Benchmark / Ramsey Group of South Australian Hospitals.
Cathy was awarded SA Telstra Business Woman of the Year in 2003 and won the Corporate Category of the Awards.
Board appointments include Stirling Hospital, National Disability Services, Workability International and is a Trustee of The Pulteney Grammar School Foundation and a member of the University of SA, Business School Advisory Committee.
Joel Abraham
Joel was the joint chief executive of Australian Institute of Business between 2005 and 2018. During this time he co-led AIB through the turnaround from a small family-business to become the largest MBA provider in Australia and one of the largest private higher education institutions in Australia.
Highlights of his time at AIB include: increasing revenues by more than 50 times with significant EBITDA levels, producing more than 10,000 MBA graduates, building industry-leading customer acquisition capability, building highly-successful transnational operations with distribution across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, and employing 275 full-time staff in Adelaide with several hundred contractors.
In 2015, Joel led a process that resulted in the partial sale of AIB to a leading Australian private equity firm. Joel stayed on as joint CEO until his exit from the role in February 2018, and he still maintains a board seat and significant equity position in the business.
Joel has a Bachelor of Commerce from Flinders University and an International Certificate in Corporate Finance from Columbia University (NY, USA).
Joel is the founder of Growth Partner Ventures and now looking to help SMEs grow rapidly by leveraging his experience, expertise, contacts, and capital.
Justin Jamieson
Justin has been a Partner at KPMG since 2008 and was appointed Chairman of Partners in South Australia in 2017. Justin also leads the KPMG's Northern Territory and Tasmanian practices.
Justin has advised many of the state’s largest organisations including Adelaide Brighton Cement, Santos, SA Power Networks, Australian Rail Track Corporation and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. Justin has a strong interest in health and wellbeing and has previously led KPMG's People, Performance and Culture initiatives and the Health and Wellbeing program.
Justin was the Australian Davos Connection Future Summit Australian Leadership Awardee for 2010. Justin’s interests outside work include triathlon, golf and theatre.
Manuel Ortigosa
Manuel Ortigosa is the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Global Intertrade group of companies.
Global Intertrade, established in 1994, is a diverse group of companies with major investments in property and property development, the wine industry and media.
Spanning more than 30 years, Manuel has a diverse background in both the business sector and executive government positions. Prior to joining Global Intertrade, Manuel worked in international business and investment attraction, working with companies including Benetton, Natuzzi, Marcos Automotive and Prodrive. Manuel speaks Spanish & Italian fluently.
Working independently from Global Intertrade in 2002, Manuel’s company MJO Developments consulted to Tarong Energy during the construction of South Australia’s first wind farm, Starfish Hill, on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
In 2003 Manuel was appointed Executive Director of Investment Attraction and Major Projects in the Department of Trade and Economic Development. Working with the Economic Development Board, Manuel managed a team responsible for overseeing economic development and investment attraction projects in South Australia.
In 2006 Manuel returned to the position of Managing Director and CEO of Global Intertrade to oversee the next stage of growth and investment of the Global Intertrade group within South Australia. This included the acquisition of a winery and further vineyard assets in the Barossa Valley, activate property development projects and the expansion of the media group. Manuel’s extensive experience in the private sector is complimented with experience in economic development and investment attraction at an executive level in the South Australian government.
Robert Stobbe
Rob Stobbe has held the position of Chief Executive Officer since March 2010. SA Power Networks is the privastised electricity business in South Australian owned by Power Assets Holdings Ltd, Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Ltd and Spark Infrastructure.
He has over 30 years experience in the utilities infrastructure sector having held senior management positions in the electricity, water, gas and telecommunications sectors in both Australia and overseas.
Prior to joining SA Power Networks (formerly ETSA Utilities) he was TransAdelaide's CEO from September 2008 and was responsible for the operation of customer focussed train and tram passenger services in South Australia.
Prior to this, he was the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Spark Infrastructure, the position he held from October 2005. Spark Infrastructure is a leading Australian utility infrastructure investment group listed on the Australian Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of approx. $2.0 billion.
Prior to this he was Head and Finance Director of the North England gas distribution network (2004-2005). He was responsible for the successful transition of this business from the previous owner, National Grid Transco.
Rob has also held Chief Financial Officer positions at three electricity companies; ETSA (1996-2002) and CitiPower and Powercor (2003-2004). Rob was General Manager of ETSA's retail business immediately prior to the sale of ETSA in 2000. He was also responsible for the establishment of ETSA's telecommunications business.
Prior to his commencement at SA Power Networks, Rob has held numerous key management roles in South Australian water industry in the areas of financial management, internal audit and strategic planning.
Sascha Detmold Cox
Sascha Detmold Cox is an Executive Group General Manager and Director at the Detmold Group of Companies, a South Australian-owned global manufacturer specialising in paper and board packaging, employing more than 3,500 people. She is the eldest of the third generation of the Detmold family working in the business, which has recently celebrated its 70th anniversary. Sascha has responsibilty for the Sales Business in our emerging markets, India and South America whilst also managing Group functions Business Enablement, Quality, Procurement and Warehousing & Logistics.
During COVID the Detmold Group responded to the urgent requirement of the South Australian & Federal governments and built a new mask manufacturing facility to supply 150 million locally made masks. Sascha is now responsible for Detmold Medical to drive the transition from a ‘start up’ to a sustainable business.
Sascha is currently a Board Director at Business SA and has previously served as a Bedford Group Foundation board member, on the Starlight Children’s Foundation Advisory Board (SA), and as a board member at Mind Australia. Sascha recently joined the SA Health and Medical Industries Ministerial Advisory Panel.