Adelaide Connected

Kayla Johnson came to Adelaide from Oklahoma in the United States in 2015 to study her masters and has quickly become a passionate advocate for SA. She started as an intern with the South Australian Government where she quickly progressed to Policy & Project Officer with the Department for Education and Principal Policy Officer with the Department of the Premier & Cabinet. In her role as D...

Ben Symons is the General Manager SA & WA at Lendlease. After growing up in Country NSW, Ben found his calling in the construction industry and joined Lendlease as a graduate and hasn’t looked back. He has held multiple roles within Lendlease, starting in Sydney and Canberra and later having the opportunity to work across the business internationally in Hawaii, Alaska, Dallas and Los Angeles,...

With a Master of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Arka Ghosh moved from India to Australia in 2019. He originally settled in Geelong where he studied a Ph D in Construction Management and was awarded as a finalist for innovative breakthrough and impactful research. In 2022, Arka secured a role as Digital Assets Leader for Beca and moved to Adelaide in 2023. We chat to Arka about...

Irina is what we term an ‘Arrow’ and a ‘Boomerang’. Originally from Romania, Irina moved to Adelaide in 2002 to undertake her post graduate studies at the University of South Australia and worked in a number of engineering and project management roles including as Director, Corporate Services and Director, Engineering & Building Services at SA Health. In 2011, she took up a national role with...

Professor Simon Lucey is the Director of the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, a professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Adelaide and an 'Arrow,' someone who has moved to Adelaide to live and work. Originally from Queensland, Simon has spent time working as the Principal Research Scientist at the CSIRO in Brisbane and as an Associate Research Professor at...

Krish De Silva is the Business Performance & Reporting Manager with Thomas Foods, a family-owned South Australian business that grows, supplies and distributes premium meat and seafood all over the world. Originally from Sri Lanka, Krish moved to Adelaide in late 2018 and is what we term an 'Arrow,' someone who is originally from overseas and has chosen to relocate to Adelaide to live...

Federico Bozzano is originally Santa Margherita Ligure in Italy and is what we term an 'Arrow', someone who is from interstate or overseas and has chosen South Australia as their new home.  Federico originally moved from Italy to Oxford in the United Kingdom before relocating to Australia in 2010 where he has lived in Brisbane, Coolum Beach, Melbourne, Sydney and now Adelaide, where he has...

Brooke Bickmore-Bridges is the lovely co-founder and creator of In the Roundhouse , serving up trendy homewares and dinnerware to fashionistas, celebrities and everyday Australians. But Brooke is so much more than this gorgeous lifestyle brand. She is a mum to 3 girls, has had a really interesting career to-date working in publishing and magazines in Sydney and London, and is what we term a 'B...

Stuart is a photographer, videographer and digital creator who travels the world taking amazing pictures of sporting events and mega stars, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Stuart spends a lot of time travelling the world but chooses to call Adelaide, SA home. We chat to Stuart about his first impressions of Adelaide, his career in the creative industries,...

Gemma Nelson originally came to South Australia as a backpacker and loved it so much, she ended up staying! 15 years later, Gemma and her young family live in the Adelaide Hills, enjoying the country lifestyle while being within easy reach of the city and beach. With a background in strategic sales, marketing and business development, Gemma has a real passion for developing South Australia as an o...

While most people choose to relocate to a new city for work, family or lifestyle reasons, it was a Rundle Mall busker that prompted Ryan Williams and his family to call Adelaide home. Originally from South Africa, Ryan is what we call an 'Arrow' having relocated to Adelaide in 2021. He is an international business executive, strategist, and entrepreneur with two decades of experience in bu...

Ever since Krystina Hudson made the move to Adelaide she has felt right at home. Originally from the Pilbara in Western Australia, Krystina started as a Trainee at BHP in WA before transferring to SA to further her career and broaden her mining experience. She has quickly moved up the ranks and is now the Surface Logistics Supervisor for BHP, responsible for the movement of copper and other minera...

Patrick Clifton is a born and raised 'Adelaidean' who has had an exciting career to-date, including working in Melbourne with the AFL and in New York City with the NBA. In 2023 Patrick made the decision to return to Adelaide and is now the Chief Operating Officer of the Adelaide 'Crows' Football Club where he leads the clubs finance, facilities, IT, legal, governance and risk funct...

Sanj de Silva has had an interesting and varied career to-date including as the Principal News Anchor for MTV News in Sri Lanka and senior roles with British American Tobacco and Standard Chartered Bank in the UK. At the end of 2019, Sanj and her family made a spontaneous decision to move to South Australia, attracted by Adelaide's convenience, family-friendly culture and vibrancy. Sanj is now...

Joseph John is Senior Economic Development Advisor at the City of Salisbury and is what we term an 'arrow', having recently moved to Adelaide with his wife and young family. Joseph is originally from India and has spent time working in New Zealand and the UK, including as an Associate for Goldman Sachs and as Director for the British High Commission, India. He chats to us about his reasons...

In this episode we sit down with Jenna-Belle Smith, Group & Event Manager with Destination Sport Experiences Australia. Jenna-Belle, affectionately known as JB, is a 'boomerang,' having moved to British Columbia in Canada to hit the slopes and work for Big White Ski Resorts. After a few years overseas, JB returned home to further her career in events and tourism, only for the COVID-19...

In this episode we speak with Giosuè Pianciamore, a Careers Advisor with Kaplan Business School. Giosuè is from Malta, a small island country located in the central Mediterranean Sea, and has recently moved to Adelaide in November 2023 with his wife and two young children. He shares with us his reasons for moving to Adelaide, how he has navigated the visa and migration process, his impressions of...

In this episode we chat to the delightful Dr Catherine Grace. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Catherine is a physician, clinical researcher and thought leader in the areas of defence, space, cyber, health, medicine and disruptive technologies. In her role as Director of the South Australian Space Industry Centre, Catherine works closely with government, industry and academia to position South Aus...

Sam Dighton is CEO of the Committee for Adelaide and is what we term a 'Boomerang' - someone who was originally from South Australian, moved abroad and has now returned. Sam reflects on his time spent overseas, including working as a lawyer, cheesemaker and with the London Office of the Agent General for South Australia. He shares with us his reasons for returning to Adelaide, his experien...

Hasitha Jayatilake wanted a career change and after finding the right course at the University of Adelaide, as well as seeing the state’s migration policy, he made the move to Adelaide. Now a software architect, he found a vibrant community within his field and is working on his own startup. Despite being able to work anywhere in the world, Hasitha chose to stay in South Australia.

International Arrow Brent Gimpel is Director - Digital Transformation and Change at PWC. In this episode, we follow his journey from New Jersey to Adelaide, as he shares what brought him here and what he loves about living in the Adelaide Hills.  Brent reveals his ideal South Australian weekend - including wineries, pub meals and spending time on his hobbies.  He also reveals what he thinks about...

In this podcast episode we speak to an international arrow AND boomerang, Parika Verma, Strategic Foresight Officer with the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.  Having lived around the world, Parika returned to Adelaide from Melbourne during the covid lockdown and found her dream role, developing policies and tools to shape the future of SA within the South Australian Government.  Find out wha...

In this podcast episode we speak to  Chris Ball , Director at Tourism Sentiment Index and  Andrea Conn , Senior Category Leader at Amazon . Juggling international tech careers with a love for adventure, Adelaide newcomer Andrea and returnee Chris tell the Adelaide Connected podcast why they now call the city home. Find out what they love about Adelaide and some of their favourite places to visit,...

In this podcast episode we speak to Daniel Johnston who is the Chief Commercial Officer at the Adelaide Football Club .  Dan has had a successful career in Australia and Europe as a senior marketing and business leader in the food and sports categories in major organisations including McDonald’s, Burger King, Arsenal Football Club, Goodman Fielder and the Adelaide Football Club.  Dan talks about b...

In this episode we speak to Nicola Stelfox who is the Senior Consultant - Marketing & Creative Practice Lead  at Latitude IT . Nicola first moved to Sydney when she decided to immigrate to Australia, until her VISA circumstances changed and she had to choose a *regional city to continue living in Australia under her VISA provisions. Nicola chose South Australia, however it was right in the mid...