Meet our team

The TCI Oceania team comprises practitioners with expertise across cluster development, industry development, facilitation, media and communications.

With a dedicated TCI Oceania Working Committee and a network of cluster practitioners throughout Oceania and around the globe, we all work to build the profile and recognition of industry clusters in our part of the world.

Our focus is to build understanding within government and industry across the Oceania region of the value that comes from participation in industry clusters and from investing in industry clusters.

Working Committee

  • Dr Mirjana Prica is an enthusiastic visionary who focuses on collaboration, entrepreneurship and innovation to deliver commercial value.

    Mirjana sits on boards and advisory groups for clusters, cooperative research centres, universities, research and industry organisations and businesses in Australia and overseas, where she leverages her 30 years of research and commercial experience in food, agribusiness, advanced materials and minerals.

    Mirjana has practical experience in establishing clusters and building ecosystems of capability and capacity for unlocking growth. Currently, Mirjana is leading FIAL, a national and industry-led organisation, established by the Australian Government and is using clusters to drive innovation and business growth for the ~180,000 firms operating in the food and agribusiness sector.

  • Ifor is acknowledged as one of the most influential cluster practitioners in the world, with hands-on experience extending to over 50 countries.

    Ifor has been an advisor to The World Bank, EU, OECD, UNDP, international aid agencies and national & regional economic development agencies on six continents.

    Ifor is a Founder, Past President and Member of the Board of Advisors of TCI Network.

    Ifor is the author of the ‘Cluster Development Handbook’, the first comprehensive guide to the What? the Why? and the How? of cluster engagement.

  • Dr Allan O’Connor is Associate Professor of Enterprise Dynamics and Co-Executive Director of the Centre for Enterprise Dynamics in Global Economies at the University of South Australia.

    As an active TCI member, His research informs practising entrepreneurs, executive management teams, policy-makers, and regional development agencies on how to create opportunities and manage the resources necessary to foster and develop innovation and entrepreneurship.

    Allan led the establishment of the Australian Cluster Observatory in 2014, has published an edited volume on Integrating Innovation in South Australia in 2015, and has pioneered research on entrepreneurial ecosystems since 2014/2015. In 2020 and 2021, he was recognised as Australia’s leading researcher in innovation and entrepreneurship by the Australian newspaper.

  • Jacqueline Brinkman is an economic development specialist and CEO of Economic Development Australia (EDA), the national peak body for economic development. Under Jacqueline’s leadership, EDA membership has more than tripled to over 1400 members in just 4 years.

    Jacqueline is one of Australia’s most experienced industry cluster managers and has facilitated industry development and new investment across a range of sectors. Her advocacy and lobbying have resulted in legislative change at the local, state and federal levels.

    Jacqueline has held CXO roles across a range of sectors in QLD and NSW, is an award-winning copywriter and an experienced company director with current positions on the Board of Dare Disability Services and RDA Sydney.

  • Dr Nicola Watts is passionate about clusters and the opportunities they present for addressing challenges and unleashing opportunities through purposeful collaboration and innovation.

    Nicola is a former cluster founder, who currently facilitates collaboration, co-innovation, communications and capacity-building. She has extensive global experience matched with a strong focus on 'acting locally'.

Secretariat

  • Director, Wilkins Communication

    As a promoter of genuine communication and engagement, Tanya is an advocate for the experts in these new days of ‘google-fuelled online warriors'.

    In tandem with her science communication PhD, Tanya writes science, business and government stories, particularly with a sustainability focus.

    One of her more innovative academic writing projects has been a climate change murder/mystery game. Her master's thesis explored the journey that climate change communication has taken to increase public understanding.

    Tanya hangs onto her dream of being published in The New Yorker one day.