Former Afterpay executive named Tech Council CEO: AFR
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The news: Former Afterpay executive Damian Kassabgi has been appointed the chief executive of the Tech Council of Australia, the Australian Financial Review reported.
The numbers: Kassabgi will start in the new role in June. He has previously worked with Uber and then joined Afterpay in 2018 as the payment company’s vice president for public policy and communications. He replaces Kate Pounder, the TCA’s inaugural chief executive, who resigned in January.
The context: Kassabgi steps into the role as the federal government takes on the big tech firms, including social media giant Meta which has walked away from the News Media Bargaining Code.
The Tech Council represents a variety of companies in the sector, from small start-ups all the way up to Google. Its members include local tech firms including Atlassian, Canva, Rokt, SafetyCulture, Culture Amp and Seek, as well as international companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Stripe and Uber.
The industry group is likely to clash with the government over its proposal to give the ACCC the ability to block mergers based on all acquisitions by the acquirer or the target in the previous three years, the report said.
The source: AFR
