Maria MacNamara has been appointed as the next CEO of the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA), the national peak body for the space industry in Australia.
MacNamara brings 35 years of experience across the public sector, global ICT and membership organisations to the new role, including her most recent experience as Director of Government Affairs and Innovation Strategy at Kyndryl.
MacNamara will commence as CEO on April 22, replacing James Brown, who left the organisation in October 2023.
Her appointment comes at a critical time of the organisation, with SIAA due to host the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney in 2025.
“As the Australian Space Sector reaches new heights driven by its commercial enterprise and academic institutions, Maria brings crucial expertise in strategy and delivery, a deep global network and the ability to unlock further opportunity domestically and abroad,” said SIAA’s Executive Chairman Jeremy Hallett.
“The eyes of the world are on Australia as we enter our next growth phase in Space and prepare to deliver the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney in 2025, and Maria is the right leader for SIAA during this transformational period.”
On her appointment, MacNamara said she was honoured to join the SIAA.
“I want to acknowledge the tremendous work done by the leaders who came before me to establish SIAA as the leading voice for the space industry in Australia,” she said.
“I am honoured to join an organisation that has the power to shape Australia into a true space-faring nation.”
On LinkedIn, MacNamara said she was particularly excited to join “the incredible team at SIAA, who are working hard to ensure we are ready to welcome the world to Sydney on 29 September 2025 when we host the 76th International Astronautical Congress – the world’s largest civil space conference attracting over 10,000 delegates from 100 countries”.
Previously, MacNamara has been CEO of Advance.org, and has held senior roles in the federal and NSW governments.
She has also been a non-executive director of the Spark Festival, a member of the Serco Asia Pacific Advisory Board, the Western Sydney University Infrastructure Committee, and is an Industry Fellow of the University of Technology.