Welcome to Startup Daily’s regular column on who’s new in the startup zoo – people moving about.
This week we have eight new people at four companies.
If you’d like share details on key staff, board or advisor appointments, let us know on news[at]startupdaily.net.
OpenAI appoints Griggs, Weaver and MacGibbon to Australian taskforce
OpenAI has appointed Ray Griggs, Johanna Weaver and Alastair MacGibbon to an independent Australian taskforce examining AI incident reporting and coordination with government. The appointments follow incidents in which OpenAI’s models accessed Australian government websites without being directed to do so.
Griggs is a former Department of Social Services secretary, vice chief of the Defence Force and chief of Navy. Weaver is cofounder and executive director of the Tech Policy Design Institute. MacGibbon is chief strategy officer at CyberCX and a former eSafety commissioner and national cyber security adviser.
The taskforce will recommend how frontier AI developers should disclose and respond to unintended model activity, including notifying government and strengthening safeguards. Members will meet OpenAI’s research and cybersecurity teams in San Francisco, with their report due by December 31, 2026. OpenAI says the taskforce will have full independence over its findings and recommendations, which it will publish.
Former Menulog boss Morten Belling and SevenRooms exec Paul Hadida tuck into EatClub
Dining technology platform EatClub has appointed Morten Belling as global managing director and Paul Hadida as general manager for Asia-Pacific as it expands across Australia and the UK. The Australian company helps venues fill tables by offering diners discounts through its app.
Belling joins after seven years as CEO of Menulog Australia, bringing more than two decades of experience in consumer technology businesses. He will oversee EatClub’s global operations and strategy. Hadida joins from SevenRooms, following senior leadership roles there and at restaurant booking platform Quandoo, where his work included expansion across Asia-Pacific. He will lead regional growth and hospitality partnerships.
EatClub has thousands of restaurant partners and more than two million app downloads.
Rob Gorkin and Sam Bruce join Cicada as venture growth advisors
Deep tech incubator Cicada Innovations has appointed Professor Rob Gorkin and Sam Bruce as venture growth experts, supporting founders as they commercialise research and grow their businesses. Sydney-based Gorkin will focus on biomedtech, while Victoria-based Bruce will cover energy and critical industries.
Gorkin cofounded medtech company Eudaemon Technologies, serving as CEO and executive director of innovation before becoming a non-executive director. His experience spans pharmaceuticals, medical devices and digital health, with recent director roles at Western Sydney University’s Translational Health Research Institute and research translation centre SPHERE.
Bruce’s career includes roles at EY, Fortescue Future Industries and Pollination, alongside five years at CSIRO, where he led development of Australia’s National Hydrogen Roadmap and Critical Energy Minerals Roadmap. He brings experience helping ventures progress from early research to investment-ready projects. Both will work directly with Cicada’s incubated companies, providing commercial guidance and industry connections.
GoCardless GM Ian Boyd joins fintech Budgetly as revenue chief
Business spending platform Budgetly has appointed Ian Boyd as chief revenue officer. He will lead sales, marketing and partner growth, including expanding the company’s work with accounting firms, bookkeepers and business advisers.
Boyd joins from GoCardless, where he was general manager for Australia and New Zealand. Before that, he spent eight years at Xero, most recently as general manager of partnerships for Asia-Pacific.
Budgetly helps Australian small and medium businesses manage spending through budgets, approvals and payment controls, replacing reimbursements, shared cards and manual processes. The company has more than 20,000 users and has processed over $1.5 billion across more than two million transactions.
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