Dr Peter
Beven.

Peter brings to this work more than three decades as a leader in capability building. He has founded and exited several technology ventures, including Primary Technologies, established to commercialise patented microwave technology and acquired by a European-headquartered multinational; and most recently, Locatrix, co-founded with the Queensland Government to deliver geospatial built-asset data and emergency management solutions and acquired by private equity firm Pemba Capital in late 2024. In late 2024 he also became an investor in SkillsTX as their Chief Capability Officer, a global skills-intelligence technology business operating in more than 40 countries.

In the public sector, Peter led the Queensland Government's IT Industry Development Strategy, where he was the architect of the Government's 'IT Commercialisation Program' — a national-first initiative to translate publicly-funded IT assets into commercial ventures and local industry capacity. He subsequently served as the designer and Program Director for the Queensland Health Digital Innovation Strategy, shaping how one of Australia's largest health systems approached digital capability, workforce uplift, and industry partnerships.

With an almost 2-decade career as a Director in QUT's Graduate School of Business, he was also the subject matter expert in complex project management and organisational design where he leveraged his extensive experience in major project and program management across the private and public sectors. During this time, he was instrumental in design and leading major capability uplift programs for large employers across the private and public sectors – most notably for the Department of Defence, as well as teaching into executive corporate and government programs, and the Executive MBA program. He also led the design and delivery of QUTs professional education and micro-credential strategy.

Peter holds and has held a range of advisory and non-executive roles across technology ventures, university-industry programs, and government-facing initiatives. He is a long-standing contributor to the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), Australia's peak body for the technology sector, as the Immediate Past President of the Queensland State Council and the Chair of the Skills and Workforce Policy Advisory Network. He is frequently referenced by the AIIA on matters of digital workforce policy, skills credentialing, and government-industry collaboration.

He has been engaged in the development of several significant national and international skills initiatives including the Australian government's National Microcredentials Framework, a microcredentials framework for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the development of the technical and engineering capability framework for the Australian Department of Defence.

He continues to advise founders, university leaders, senior executives and international bodies (such as the United Nations) on capability strategy, commercialisation pathways, and the operating models required to turn workforce investment into competitive advantage.

He holds multiple postgraduate qualifications in finance, economics, intellectual property law and holds a PhD in technology adoption and management.