CSIRO Chief Executive Larry Marshall to depart next year

The CSIRO board has announced that the organisation’s Chief Executive, Dr Larry Marshall, will complete his third and final term in June 2023. He will depart CSIRO as its longest serving Chief Executive in half a century, having acted as its leader since 2015.

In the past eight years under Marshall’s leadership, CSIRO renewed focus on its purpose to solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. Among his many initiatives, Marshall led the creation of the CSIRO Innovation Fund – Main Sequence Ventures. Since it was founded, Main Sequence Ventures has helped to build 42 deep technology companies, creating more than 1200 technology jobs.

Shortly after joining the agency, Marshall helped develop the CSIRO ON program, a national science accelerator. ON has supported 3314 researchers from 52 Australian research organisations, leading to 66 new companies, which have raised $114.6 million in investment capital and $115.8 million in grants.

In 2020, Marshall led the establishment of CSIRO’s Missions program, bringing together research agencies, universities, industry, government and community to tackle urgent and complex problems facing the country. Launched Missions include Hydrogen, Future Protein, Drought Resilience, Trusted AgriFood Exports and Ending Plastic Waste, and just last month the Towards Net Zero Mission.

Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic thanked Marshall for his legacy and his service, saying, “Dr Marshall has steered CSIRO through a rapidly changing scientific environment; a period of much scientific promise amid global turbulence, particularly through the COVID pandemic.

“I particularly welcomed the opportunity in August to launch CSIRO National Vaccine and Therapeutics Lab alongside Dr Marshall.

“CSIRO’s contribution to Australia’s resilience during the pandemic cannot be overstated, and it will play a vital role in developing sovereign capability in the years to come.”

Kathryn Fagg, Chair of the CSIRO board, said Marshall enabled CSIRO to “deliver significant scientific breakthroughs, translate its research into real-world solutions and deliver a staggering benefit for our nation — eight times the investment”.

She continued, “Today’s CSIRO is the most connected research organisation in Australia, collaborating with every university and helping thousands of small and large industry partners to bring science to the centre of creating a better future.”

Marshall thanked the 5672 people from CSIRO who bring their best every day for the nation, saying that together they have reignited Australia’s ambition to solve our greatest challenges with science.

”I am honoured to know how much has been delivered by our national science agency and how proud every Australian can be of its achievements,” he said.

Pictured: Outgoing CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall.

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