(833) 317-6278 
The inaugural head of the National AI Centre Stela Solar has joined the Australian arm of multinational consultancy Accenture as its managing partner for data and AI, less than a month after leaving the public service. Ms Solar is also the consultancy’s Health and Public Service lead, Generative AI Market Lead, and AI Transition Lead. Based in Sydney, Ms Solar will help “organisations and people to succeed through this AI wave and build new opportunities”, according to LinkedIn. Ms Solar spent nearly three years as the head of the federal government’s National Artificial Intelligence Centre (NAIC) but left the role earlier this month after the organisation was transferred from the CSIRO to the Industry department. The Accenture appointment marks Ms Solar’s return to the private sector, having ended a more than 10-year career as a senior sales executive at Microsoft to lead the NAIC. She is also no longer co-chair of the international Commonwealth Artificial Intelligence Consortium or an industry advisory committee member for the Monash Data Futures Institute.
Brandon How is a Reporter at InnovationAus.com, based in Canberra, ACT, AU. He focuses on themes related to energy and mining, higher education, and finance, with a keen interest in topics such as ESG, AI, startups, and renewables. Brandon's work has been featured in InnovationAus.com, showcasing his expertise in these critical areas.
