ACS Elects New President and Vice President Membership Boards
Friday 25 November 2011: The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has elected a new President, Vice President Membership Boards, National Treasurer and three National Congressional Representatives at the ACS Congress meeting in Hobart today.
Dr Nick Tate was elected as President for 2012 – 2013.
Dr Tate joined the ACS in 2004 and currently holds the position of ACS National Treasurer. He has been actively involved in the ACS over the past six years and has held various roles within the ACS Queensland Branch, including Branch Chair and Branch Vice Chair. He was also the Chair of the World Computer Congress in 2010.
Dr Tate is Director of the Australian Government's Research Data Storage Infrastructure (RDSI) project based at the University of Queensland (UQ). RDSI is a $50 million project which aims to transform the storage of research data throughout Australia with the establishment of a multi petabyte federated storage service. Nick holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, a Master's degree in Computer Science and a PhD in IT security. He is also a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered IT Professional, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a Fellow of the ACS. He has 37 years of experience in ICT with over 16 years at a CIO/IT Director level.
Dr Tate, Newly Elected ACS President, said “I am delighted to be elected President of the ACS. I look forward to working with members of the ACS to advance ICT and the profession.
“As ICT becomes ever more entrenched in our modern lifestyle, enabling every aspect of commerce, government, education, communications and entertainment, we need to address issues related to ICT skills development to ensure quality supply of ICT skills for our economic development. We also need to recognise the contribution of ICT professionals to the economy appropriately.”
Outgoing ACS President, Anthony Wong, welcomed the result and congratulated Dr Tate on his appointment.
“The ACS has enjoyed significant growth in membership and reached the milestone of 20,000 members in November this year. Nick is highly regarded amongst peers in the ACS and the ICT sector. I am confident he will lead the ACS to its next stage of development and drive professionalism in the ICT profession.” said Anthony Wong.
Dr Tate formally takes over as ACS National President on 1 January 2012 when the current President, Anthony Wong, completes his two year term.
The ACS also elected Doug Grant as Vice President Membership Boards.
Doug Grant has over 18 years of senior management experience in the university sector, latterly managing over 100 staff and a budget of close to $20 million. Doug has experience of exercising strategic leadership through many challenges. His strategic leadership competence is best illustrated by the way he led computing at Swinburne from a small department, running out-dated courses and doing no research, to a large faculty (now one of only three IT faculties in Australia) with a large range of courses appreciated by students and employers alike and a very strong research profile with an international outlook.
The following members have been elected as National Treasurer and National Congressional Representatives:
- National Treasurer - Yohan Ramasundara (Canberra)
- National Congressional Representative - Mike Driver (Qld)
- National Congressional Representative - Peter Palmer (NSW)
- National Congressional Representative - Ian Wells (VIC)
ACS CEO Alan Patterson said “I would like to thank Anthony Wong for his valuable contribution to the Society as President and outgoing members of the Management Committee, Brenda Aynsley, Jack Burton, Kumar Parakala and Patrick Wilson for their dedication to help grow the ACS”
“I look forward to working closely with the new Management Committee to further improve our services to members and strengthen our leadership position as the public voice of the ICT profession in Australia,” said Mr Patterson, ACS CEO.
Media information:
Seni Murni
ACS PR & Special Projects Executive
02 9299 3666 or 0410 029 706
seni.murni@acs.org.au
Clementine Stuart-Russell
02 9492 1034 or 0414 490 092
clementine@launchgroup.com.au
About the ACS:
The ACS (Australian Computer Society) is the recognised professional association for those working in Information and Communications Technology, seeking to raise the standing of ICT professionals and represent their views to government, industry and the community. A member of the Australian Council of Professions, the ACS is the guardian of professional ethics and standards in the ICT sector, committed to ensuring the beneficial use of ICT for all Australians. It provides both members and non-members with opportunities for professional education, networking and certification, as well as enabling them to contribute to the development of their profession. Visit www.acs.org.au for more information.