Kate Cornick

Dr Kate Cornick is currently the Chief Executive Officer at LaunchVic, which is the Victorian Government’s $60M initiative to accelerate start-ups, drive new ideas and create jobs in Victoria. LaunchVic works in partnership with entrepreneurs, industry, business, the community and educational institutions to strengthen Victoria’s entrepreneurial and start-up ecosystem.

Prior to this appointment, Dr Cornick was CEO of ASX listed startup Rision Ltd. Her previous positions include Director of Innovation and Industry Engagement at the University of Melbourne, and the General Manager, Health and Education at NBN Co. Dr Cornick has also held the position of Senior Telecommunications Adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Stephen Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, this role entailed advising on the National Broadband Network policy, consumer issues and regional telecommunications.

Dr Cornick serves as a Non-Executive Director on a number of boards, including the Victorian Government Innovation Expert Panel, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), the Melbourne Networked Society Institute.

Dr Cornick undertook her PhD in optical telecommunications at the University of Melbourne and, as part of her studies, spent time at AT&T Research Laboratories, USA. She also has a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) and Bachelor of Science (Physics and Philosophy). Dr Cornick is deeply passionate about the role of innovation in our economy and society and has considerable experience in technology innovation and change management across start-ups, academia, corporate and government.