STARTUPAUS WELCOMES NEW CEO

AUSTRALIA'S peak advocacy group for startups has welcomed a former Tel Aviv-based diplomat as its new CEO.

Alex McCauley's (pictured) appointment will be effective this Friday and he will take over from founding director and interim CEO Peter Bradd, who will enter into a chairman role.

McCauley spent three years as an Australian diplomat in Tel Aviv leading the Australian Embassy's strategy and analysis on regional security issues, as well as entrepreneurship and innovation policy.

He joined StartupAUS in 2014 as head of strategy and advocacy, responsible for developing StartupAUS' extensive contribution to the Federal Government's National Innovation and Science Agenda and a report on the outcomes of the national Innovation Policy Hack in October 2015.

McCauley says 'there is a lot more to do'.

"Australia has come a long way recently in recognising the direction we need to take to safeguard our future prosperity, however there is a lot more to do," he says.

"We need to think creatively and act boldly to allow us to take full advantage of the huge windfall technology can deliver."

McCauley says the StartupAUS team is currently producing its 'most ambitious Crossroads Report to date' which will canvass best practice case studies from around the world to help find ways to leverage Australia up the startup ecosystem.

StartupAUS is also in the process of finalising a range of corporate partnerships.