Michael is one of Australia’s most respected e-research thought leaders and public-private sector entrepreneurs. Since 2001, Michael has transformed SIRCA from a quasi-academic institution reliant on public grants to a self-funded professional e-research service provider to over 200 universities, regulators and commercial clients world-wide. Over this period, Michael has led a range of public interest initiatives including most recently the successful establishment of Intersect Australia Ltd, which is now the peak e-research organization for NSW servicing scientific domains as diverse as the creative arts, humanities, health and climate change. His ambition is for SIRCA to become the leading catalyst for high impact research and innovation in the global financial community and, more broadly, demonstrate the social and economic value of appropriately structured private-public sector partnerships in research and education.
During his academic career prior to joining SIRCA, Michael’s primary research and teaching interest was in organisational change management and was published in top international journals and several books. Michael has won several prestigious teaching awards including the 1998 Australian Award for University Teaching in the Business and Economics category for his work relating to the integration of experiential learning, knowledge management practices and contemporary process based change management strategies.
Michael has also consulted widely to the corporate and government sector on a wide range of assignments including data management, cost and process benchmarking and organisational change. This has included expert witness work in the field of activity based management/costing.