Renewal SA seeks ‘inspirational’ leader a year after previous full-time boss John Hanlon went on leave

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Renewal SA is on the hunt for a new chief executive with acting boss Mark Devine leaving for a private sector role.

The agency that oversees major taxpayer-backed developments has been without a permanent leader since former chief executive John Hanlon mysteriously went on leave last September. Mr Hanlon’s contract expired on July 20 and was not renewed.

The advertisement for the role says Renewal SA is looking for “an inspirational leadership style reflecting integrity, transparency, probity and engagement with a wide customer base, combined with experience as a champion of change and innovation’’.

Minister for Planning Stephan Knoll said Mr Devine, who had been acting in the role since October last year, had moved on.

“Mark Devine has gone from strength to strength in his time at Renewal SA and has truly had a positive impact on that organisation,’’ Mr Knoll said.

“Mark has shown tremendous leadership and stability since stepping into the acting chief executive role.

“I sincerely thank Mark for his service and what he has been able to achieve for the betterment of South Australia.’’

Renewal SA's former acting chief executive Mark Devine at Bowden.

Renewal SA’s general manager of people and place management Georgina Vasilevski also went on indefinite leave last year at the same time as Mr Hanlon.

Opposition government accountability spokesman Tom Koutsantonis said the agency’s upper management was “chaotic” and needed “some adults in the room’’.

Mr Koutsantonis in July pressed Mr Knoll in a Budget Estimates hearing as to whether Mr Hanlon had been paid while on leave however his questions were not answered.

“My view is that Stephan Knoll has some serious questions to answer about the management of all of his portfolios,’’ he said.

He said that the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure had been without a chief executive for months last year until the appointment of Tony Braxton-Smith and now Renewal SA was leaderless.

Former deputy premier and planning minister John Rau appointed Mr Hanlon to Renewal SA role in July 2014. Mr Hanlon was previously the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure deputy chief executive.

Mr Rau at the time said Mr Hanlon was “widely known and respected in the industry” and had a “wealth of experience in the public service”.

Mr Hanlon replaced former thinker in residence Fred Hansen, who was sacked in 2014.

Renewal SA oversees the management of Government land and building projects including the Lot Fourteen site redevelopment, Riverbank, and Festival Plaza.

It also has a central role in residential developments at Bowden and Port Adelaide, as well as managing rollout of a hi-tech business hub on the old Mitsubishi site at Tonsley Park.

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