Former National AI Centre boss Stela Solar will replace Chris Kirk as CEO of startup collaboration hub Stone & Chalk.
Solar was most recently a managing director at Accenture. Bef becoming the founding head of NAIC, creating Australia’s first national AI adoption guidance, and several AI policies, she was a senior exec at Microsoft including as global director of AI solution sales.
Stone & Chalk chair Richard Kimber said Solar “brings a rare combination of experience across startups, government, corporations, and the Australian innovation ecosystem” to the business, which has offices in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne.
“She has a strategic perspective, personal drive, and team orientation that are required for this important role,” he said.
Solar said that her early priorities in the new role include the development of a shared services model – designed to plug critical business functions such as hiring, marketing, insurance and operations into startups – freeing founders to focus on customers, product, and innovation.
Founder wellbeing a priority
Initiatives focused on founder wellbeing and resilience, so they can build stronger, more sustainable companies, are also on the list. She’s on the Data & AI Advisory Council at Beyond Blue.
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“Our startup founders are building Australia’s sovereign tech capability and I’m excited to lead an organisation that accelerates Australian innovation,” she said.
“AI presents both the greatest opportunity and the biggest challenge for technology companies today. No single player can succeed alone; it requires collaboration across the entire value chain: from researchers and universities to government and industry. My focus will be on building the infrastructure, the talent pipelines, and the support systems that help Australian startups move fast enough to compete globally.”
The arrival of Solar signals the end of a decade-long adventure for Kirk, including two years as CEO.
“I joined Stone & Chalk in 2015 when it was an idea on a page. Ten years on, we’ve built Australia’s largest and most recommended startup support organisation,” he said.
“Stela is widely recognised as a leader in advancing AI – we worked closely with her and her team on the National AI Sprint and she is known and trusted across the startup community. She deeply understands the challenges facing emerging tech businesses because she’s worked across every dimension of the ecosystem.”
