Adelaide ITS Business Networking Event 2023

Susan Close is the State Member for Port Adelaide and was elected on the 11th of February 2012.

Susan has lived on the LeFevre Peninsula for twenty years with Declan and their two children and is passionate about representing the people in her community.

Before entering Parliament, Susan was an executive in the SA Environment Department. She previously worked at the University of Adelaide running student services and holds a PhD from Flinders University.

Susan held several portfolios during the Weatherill Labor Government, including being Minister for Education and Minister for Innovation and Automotive Transformation.

Adrian Fahey is the Managing Director of SAGE Group. Adrian leads a team of more than 750 across two continents who, through the brands of SAGE Automation, Nukon, Skills Lab, Embedded Expertise and software solutions Addinsight and Tillit, offer a comprehensive suite of industrial digitalisation solutions.

Joining SAGE in 1998, Adrian held a number of senior positions as the young company grew, before being made CEO in 2008, then Group Managing Director 2020. Adrian is responsible for developing the strategic plan for the business and has overseen several successful acquisitions for SAGE and the broad diversification of the business’s capability to uniquely position SAGE in the market.

Adrian is a Board Member and Executive Director of the SAGE Group Boards, board member of National Association for Women in Operations (NAWO) and the international Control System Integrator Association (CSIA).

In 2011, Robert Kane commenced his position with Department for Infrastructure and Transport, accumulating nearly 13 years of dedicated service in a range of transport engineering roles. An outstanding achievement includes his leadership role in the ITS implementation for the Torrens Road to River Torrens Project. In collaboration with the T2T Alliance and SAGE Automation, he seamlessly integrated ITS components, traffic signals, and established DIT's Backup Traffic Management Centre. Transitioning to the TMC team in 2018 as the ITS Team Leader, Robert Kane's expertise now guides the execution of the South Eastern Freeway Upgrade Project. This pivotal role encompasses crucial upgrades to the Heysen tunnel and managed motorway systems.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Robert finds fulfillment in field umpiring for the top tier of the Adelaide Football League, all while embracing the beauty of South Australia's coastal gems and its renowned wine regions.

As Chief Executive of ITS Australia, and with an extensive career in transport strategy, Susan is ideally placed at the intersection of technology and transport. Supported by strong connections to the international ITS community and the global network of ITS Associations, Susan works tirelessly advocating for the benefits of transport technologies for business and for the broader Australian community.

Susan is highly regarded for her roles supporting the growth and innovation of the nation’s transport technology industries. She works across a number of industry advisory groups and is a regular advisor to the State and Federal Governments, and their Ministers, on transport technology and mobility issues.

As Smart Cities Lead at SAGE Automation, Ashby has a deep technical understanding of the best practices in design, implementation and management of Smart Cities systems. He applies these to achieve exemplary outcomes, reducing the use of resources, enabling public accountability and providing great public experiences.

Winner of the Smart City Council's 2019 Emerging Leader award, Ashby has shown an aptitude for applying innovative thinking to solve problems in the public realm. With IOT experience in mining, transport, agriculture and smart cities, Ashby has a clear vendor-agnostic vision to data collection and control.