Mary O’Kane is a company director and Executive Chairman of Mary O’Kane & Associates Pty Ltd, a company that advises governments, universities and the private sector on innovation, research, education and development.

Professor O’Kane was Vice-Chancellor and President of Adelaide University from 1996-2001 and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) from 1994-96.  Before that, she was Dean of the Faculty of Information Sciences and Engineering at the University of Canberra.  She is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia.

She serves on several boards and committees in the public and private sectors.  She specialises in high technology commercialisation, national research strategies and higher education policy.  She is Vice-Chair of the Development Gateway Chair Foundation.  She is a director of QPSX Ltd and several private companies.  She is a member of the Australian Aid Advisory Council, the Tax Concession Committee and is Senior Advisor to the Australian Government on the Virtual Colombo Plan.  She was Chair of Sienna Capital Ltd, a director of FH Faulding & Co Ltd and a member of the Australian Research Council, the Cooperative Research Centres Committee and the CSIRO Board.