Dr Larry Marshall to leave CSIRO

The CSIRO Board today announced that CSIRO’s Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall will complete his third and final term in June 2023.

Dr Marshall has led CSIRO since 2015, making him the agency’s longest serving chief executive in the past 50 years.

The Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic MP, thanked Dr Marshall for his tenure at the CSIRO, which saw the organisation embrace venture capital and reorganised around key themes of ‘missions’.

Husic said: “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.”

“…Undoubtedly he will leave the organisation with a lasting legacy and I thank him for his dedicated service”.

Dr Marshall led the creation of the CSIRO Innovation Fund – Main Sequence Ventures, which has helped to build 42 deep technology companies, creating more than 1,200 technology jobs.

Shortly after joining the agency, Dr Marshall helped develop the CSIRO ON program, a national science accelerator.

ON has supported 3,314 researchers from 52 Australian research organisations, leading to 66 new companies, which have raised $114.6m in investment capital and $115.8m in grants.

In 2020, Dr Marshall led the establishment of CSIRO’s Missions programme, 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, Ending Plastic Waste and, most recently, the Towards Net Zero Mission.

Husic said: “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.”

Picture: Dr Larry Marshall