Office of the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur

The Office of the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur is the first of its kind in Australia with a strong goal – to make Queensland the number one startup state in the country.

The Office of the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur plays a vital role in building and promoting the importance and contribution of entrepreneurship and investment in Queensland. 

The role of the Office of the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur is to: 

  • support the development of Queensland’s startup ecosystem by working with incubators, accelerators and coworking spaces 
  • connect with regional and remote Queensland to encourage and foster statewide entrepreneurship 
  • showcase Queensland startup and entrepreneurial talent to local, national and international audiences 
  • stimulate and attract local, national and international investment and venture capital to Queensland 
  • support local entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses across the state by connecting them with the right opportunities, people, places, and spaces to help them grow, scale, and create jobs. 

Julia Spicer is the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur, starting in the role in December 2022. 

Innovation Advisory Council

The Innovation Advisory Council (IAC) was established to champion innovation, connect ecosystem stakeholders, attract investment and build the resource base for accelerating innovation through entrepreneurial action, across Queensland, for better community and economic outcomes. 

The IAC together with Queensland’s Chief Entrepreneur, focus on maximising the support available to help open doors to the expertise and networks our innovation community needs to succeed in the new economy. 

The members of the Innovation Advisory Council are: 

  • Ms Julia Spicer OAM – Queensland Chief Entrepreneur 
  • Mr Nicholas Guest – Principal, Global Private Capital at the Queensland Investment Corporation 
  • Ms Amelia St Baker – Young entrepreneur and Digital Strategist at the St Baker Energy Innovation Fund 
  • Dr Christine Williams – Chair Life Science Queensland Ltd and Executive Director for the Women in Economics Network Queensland 
  • Mr Andrew Hopper – Director-General, Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport 

Former Queensland Chief Entrepreneurs

  • Wayne Gerard - 2021-2022
  • Leanne Kemp – 2018-2020
  • Steve Baxter – 2017-2018
  • Mark Sowerby – 2016-2017

Further information

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