The former managing director of Australian telecommunications major Telstra is the new chair of AROSE (Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth), a consortium sponsored by corporates and the Western Australian government.
Deena Shiff succeeds inaugural chair David Flanagan in the role.
Shiff was also founding CEO of Telstra Ventures and is currently advisory board chair for the ARC Centre of Excellence on Automated Decision Making and Society and a non-executive director of ASX-listed health software company, ProMedicus. She has a bachelor of arts (law) from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor of science (economics) from the London School of Economics.
“I believe that Australia is ideally placed to combine its expertise in robotics and automation in remote environments by applying it in space and deep sea,” Shiff (right) said.
“The AROSE consortium has brought together industry and researchers to spearhead the development and deployment of these exciting operations and applications.”
AROSE, last year appointed to lead Australia’s design, build, testing and operation of a lunar rover for NASA’s return to the surface of Moon, has 15 members and collaboration partners. They include mining and energy companies, service firms and universities.
AROSE was established in 2019 by former astronaut and now deputy administrator at NASA, Pamela Melroy, and the former head of Robotics at Woodside, Russell Potapinski.
“It has been hugely gratifying to see AROSE grow in reputation and importance to Australia’s space sector, and as an accelerator of remote operations technology and expertise across industry,” said Flanagan, a veteran mining industry executive.
AROSE CEO Leanne Cunnold said Flanagan’s four-year tenure had helped secure AROSE’s place as Australia’s “trusted leader in remote operations for space and on Earth”.
“[Shiff’s] knowledge and experience will be invaluable as we deliver the design for the Trailblazer lunar rover to the Australian Space Agency, continue to strengthen the nation’s remote operations capability and expertise, and inspire new generations to pursue careers in robotics and automation.”
