Australia’s top science agency, CSIRO, is finally stepping up to the digital challenge by appointing its first chief digital officer (CDO).
CSIRO has given former WA government digital services project director Rebecca Ostergaard the task of becoming a digital science evangelist within and outside the agency.
Perth-based Ostergaard, who starts her new job on Monday, comes to the role as a high-regarded digital leader.
Over the past year, she helped build the investment case and develop the strategic roadmap for the ServiceWA app out of the state Office of Digital Government.
Before that, Ostergaard spent a long time in the WA telecommunications and university sectors. After three years at the University of WA, she was deputy director, digital solutions, at Curtin University.
Professor Elanor Huntington, who is CSIRO’s executive director, digital national facilities and collections, has welcomed Ostergaard’s appointment as CDO.
“CSIRO has profound ambitions to disrupt the way science is done, to empower our researchers through leading-edge digital technologies, skills and ways of working, which will ultimately support CSIRO in using science to create a better future for Australia,” Huntington said.
“Rebecca is a skilled digital executive with wide experience leading digitisation across multiple sectors.
“She will lead our digital strategy, working with researchers across CSIRO to define and deliver the digital thread that runs through our corporate plan.”
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