Off the Record: What is former Adelaide VC Peter Rathjen up to now?
The former Adelaide University vice-chancellor resigned amid sexual misconduct complaints – and his new venture takes him far away from the world of education.
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As Adelaide University sets itself on the road to redemption under new vice-chancellor Peter Hoj, thoughts turn to what former VC Peter Rathjen, who resigned in the midst of allegations – later ICAC findings – that he had behaved inappropriately toward female staff, is up to.
While we haven’t been able to contact Mr Rathjen, company documents indicate some sort of property play is in progress.
In collaboration with wife Joy and Barossa resident Gregory Helbig, Mr Rathjen in December set up Vika Investments. All three are listed as directors.
Property records indicate the firm then moved quickly to snap up four modest homes, ranging in price from $116,000 to $169,000. One is in Balaklava and four are in Blyth.
They’re a far cry from Mr Rathjen’s multimillion-dollar Unley Park digs, but maybe a few redevelopments are on the cards?
And on the Unley Park title there’s been movement also. While the house was bought by Peter and Joy Rathjen in February 2018, it was transferred for no monetary consideration into the sole ownership of Joy Rathjen on June 23, 2020.
This was after Mr Rathjen went on indefinite leave and the investigation was announced but before he resigned.
Former Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Bruce Lander announced in May last year he was conducting an inquiry into “allegations of improper conduct” by Mr Rathjen – a day after the university announced Mr Rathjen had taken indefinite leave.
Mr Rathjen later resigned citing ill health, taking a $326,400 payout with him.
Mr Lander made findings in August last year that Mr Rathjen had committed “serious misconduct” by groping two female staff during a work trip to Sydney in April 2019.
Mr Helbig could not be contacted.
MORE CHURN IN SA BANKING
Another major bank is in the midst of finding its new South Australian leader with ANZ’s Brendan Rinaldi set to return home to Victoria later this year.
Rinaldi moved from Melbourne to Adelaide in 2017 to take the reins as state general manager for SA and NT before WA came into the mix earlier this year.
Locally, he has also been a passionate driver of the ANZ Community Ball, which raised $318,000 for 12 charities.
As of June 1, he has taken on a national role as health head for corporate and institutional banking in what he described as a good opportunity.
He will remain in SA until the end of the year before potentially moving back to Melbourne.
It is understood ANZ is “running a process” to try to find his replacement.
Rinaldi’s exit comes after former BankSA chief executive Nick Reade left a hole at the Westpac-owned arm when he joined the SA Premier and Cabinet Department as chief executive in February.
His position was not filled but BankSA’s website now boasts three state general managers in Ben Owen, David Firth and Andrew Dallison across different areas of the business.
BYE, BYE BAE
One of the state’s most experienced communications directors, Chandran Vigneswaran, is on the move.
The BAE Systems communications director has previously held roles with Santos, GE Capital, BP and the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, before his latest five-year stint in defence.
The CCS Institute role is interesting with Santos pushing hard for federal government support (that usually means money) for its own CCS trial in the Cooper Basin.
Mr Vigneswaran is currently playing his cards close to his chest, saying more details will be revealed soon after “what seems like a whirlwind and thrilling five years’’.
KAVENAGH POWERS ON
For those wondering what former Adelaide 36ers chief executive Ben Kavenagh is up to these days, he is now permanently off the field, or courts.
Mr Kavenagh takes up a position as general manager of SA-based Kozco Energy Group next week, after a 20-year-plus career solely focused on sports.
“Sport is in my blood and always will be,” Mr Kavenagh said, before adding that it was time to pursue a different career direction.
“I’m fortunate to have enjoyed an incredibly rewarding career on both a local and international level across basketball, football, cricket and golf.
“The time felt right to move on”.
A connection still remains to the 36ers with Kozco being a club sponsor.
“I was familiar with the team at Kozco Energy Group through their existing partnership with the 36ers,” Mr Kavenagh said.
Kozco Energy Group provides solar and battery storage solutions, airconditioning, smart home technology and energy audits, and the role Kavenagh steps into is a newly-created one.
Kozco co-founders Danny Mudronja and Wayne Faranda said Kavenagh’s expertise would be a “great asset” to the company.
BATTLE FOR HUGE SITE
Local and interstate developers are vying for the chance to build about 1500 homes on one of the largest infill development sites left in Adelaide.
Renewal SA confirmed this week it was working with a shortlist of groups that had expressed interest in developing about 52ha of government-owned land in Oakden.
Off The Record understands four developers remain in the mix, including local players Lanser and Commercial & General, Western Australia’s PEET and Victoria-focused Villawood Properties.
Lanser, which is overseeing major housing developments in Adelaide’s north and in Mount Barker, confirmed to Off The Record it was working with Renewal SA on its vision for the site, while the other groups failed to confirm or deny their ongoing involvement in the process to select a preferred developer.
“We are keen, as a South Australian Company, to be involved with the project,” Lanser managing director Jason Green said.
“We’ve submitted a draft masterplan and now it’s about deciding who they want to work with.
“The HomeBuilder grant has given us a great boost and the market is really strong at the moment. Demand is strong for all five of our current projects.”
The 52ha Oakden site, bounded by Sudholz, Fosters and Grand Junction roads, has been described by Renewal SA as “one of the last large-scale infill development opportunities in the Adelaide metropolitan area”.
It is more than double the size of Commercial & General’s $1bn WEST development at the former Football Park site.
PEET is behind the Lightsview and Tonsley Village housing projects, while Villawood is a new entrant to the Adelaide market, and is looking for its maiden project here after announcing last December it was “actively pursuing South Australian pipelines for our high-quality masterplanned residential projects”.
Renewal SA has previously indicated a preferred developer would be chosen by the middle of this year.
WHISPERS GETTING LOUDER
Much intrigue in the corridors of power over the past few weeks after a gossip social media account dropped several intel bombs on state parliament.
The anonymous @SAParliWhispers Twitter profile suddenly popped up earlier this month with the tagline “these walls whisper”.
The account, followed by the popular GhostofTomPlayford @RealLibInsider account, hit its straps when it flagged an Instagram post from Lucy Hinton, a media adviser to Attorney-General Vickie Chapman, before it exploded in Question Time.
This week, government and Labor tongues wagged even harder after gossip about Transport Minister Corey Wingard and Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas.
The account stated Mr Wingard was late for a meeting due to Brighton Rd traffic, just hours before it emerged the Hove crossing project was scrapped.
Off The Record was told he in fact had a personal appointment and was not running late. The account also mentioned private conversations involving his chief of staff Larissa Mallinson.
Our spies say the witch hunt is on for a mole, who has left some telltale signs about who they might be. But Off The Record hopes, for all our sake, that it fails.
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