Dr James Johnson announces retirement

Dr James Johnson has announced his retirement as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Geoscience Australia.

After eight years as the CEO, Dr Johnson has said that the timing is right for him and his family to transition into retirement.

“The organisation has never been in better shape,” Dr Johnson said. “We have never been more respected, more relevant, or more relied upon and trusted to deliver.”

The 2024 budget offered significant funding for the continuation of the Landsat Next program and to establish the new, generational Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative.

“It is the perfect time for organisational renewal; an injection of fresh ideas and a fresh approach at the top to take an already strong organisation to new and greater heights,” Dr Johnson said.

After 20 years in the mining and mineral exploration industries, Dr Johnson joined Geoscience Australia in January 2006 as the Chief of Minerals Division.

“Every day I feel privileged to lead this organisation and advocate for the work that our team does that is so valuable to the nation.

“The last eight years as Chief Executive Officer have been the highlight of my career,” Dr Johnson said.

Over the past eight years, Geoscience Australia has generated many successes, from creating the Digital Earth Australia platform for satellite Earth observations, to delivering the groundbreaking Exploring for the Future program.

“Our precompetitive geoscience programs, in concert with those of the state and NT Geological Surveys, have changed perceptions of Australia’s attractiveness for resources exploration, taking us from 8 per cent of global exploration expenditure to 18 per cent over eight years, and delivered incredible outcomes, including securing vital groundwater resources for a number of remote communities.

“We have built more accurate GPS positioning for all Australians through the Positioning Australia program, and in doing so, enabled precision agriculture, location-enabled robotics and safter aviation.

“The Digital Atlas of Australia was launched, connecting geographic data with diverse socio-economic data to enable greater insights for place-based policy design and decision making.

Dr Johnson has been instrumental in leading cultural change throughout the agency, leading Geoscience Australia to be recognised by Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) a flagship department for equity, diversity and inclusion.

“My vision would be that we no longer have to talk about it, because it’s just the way we are.” Dr Johnson said. “There are so many achievements I am proud of during my time here, and I am excited to see where the organisation will go next.”

A recruitment process in underway for Dr Johnson’s successor, with Dr Johnson continuing as CEO until an appointment is made.