Spencer McKinney, Principal Project Controller, Mott MacDonald

Episode 12 of our Adelaide Connected podcast, powered by the Committee for Adelaide features Mark Johnson, Founder of EGM Partners. Originally from the UK, Mark moved to Australia in 2010 and soon settled in Adelaide, South Australia. In 2016, Mark founded EGM Partners, specialising in board positions, executive and C-Suite recruitment, with a particular focus in privately owned companies and the energy and resources sector. Mark has been listed as an Australian Financial Review “Fast Starter and Fast Mover”, in InDaily’s 40 Under 40 list, twice as a BDO Fast Mover and most importantly, is a very proud dad of girls. We look forward to chatting to Mark about his journey to Adelaide, what he loves about living in South Australia and his future plans.

Today we are thrilled to be sitting down with Andres Lopez, an accomplished Architect and Urban Designer and Principal at Hames Sharley. Originally from Columbia, Andres originally moved to Adelaide in 2001 before relocating to Perth and Melbourne for serval years. In early 2026, he made the decision to return to Adelaide with his young family and is now the Principal at Hames Sharley, a leading Australian design firm delivering multi-award-winning projects in architecture, interior design, urban design, planning and landscape design.  We look forward to chatting to Andres about his life and career to date, what led him to Adelaide, not once but twice, and what he loves about his new home town.

Originally from South Africa, Grant relocated to Adelaide in January 2023 to take up the role of Vice President and General Manager Australia of Mayne Pharma, an ASX listed pharmaceutical company. A highly driven senior executive with experience transforming manufacturing and pharmaceutical organisations, Grant specialises in building high performance teams and has built a global reputation as a turnaround specialist focused on change, delivering results and improving the bottom line. We look forward to chatting to Grant about his move to Adelaide, what he loves about living in South Australia and his future plans.

Born and raised in Adelaide, Wade grew up in West Lakes and was never far from a golf course or a go-karting track. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Houston in the United States before turning professional in 2001. He has played on the PGA Tour of Australasia, the European Tour, the Asian Tour and LIV Golf and has won the Hong Kong Open twice and the International Series in Thailand in 2023. While Wade has lived in the US, Monaco and London at various points in his career and travels extensively to play on the best golf courses around the world, he chooses to make Adelaide his home base.We look forward to chatting to Wade about his life and career to date and what he loves about calling South Australia home.

Husam moved from Jordan to Adelaide in September 2022, with his wife and one year old daughter, to take up the role of Enterprise Risk Manager with EY Australia. A move that was challenging but rewarding.Husam started his career with Ernst & Young in Jordan in 2014 as an intern in the External Audit practice. In 2017, he transitioned into Business Consulting, working across multiple geographies including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq, supporting a range of large‑scale and complex engagements. We look forward to chatting to Husam about his life and career, what led him to Adelaide, and what he loves about his new hometown.The Adelaide Connected Podcast is now in its fifth season and hosts Naomi Marsh and Ali Chatburn speak with Boomerangs* and Arrows* from various industries who are now based in Adelaide, South Australia. We hear about their time abroad and delve into key topics about their move to Adelaide, how important networking is, how we attract key talent, and how our state fares on a global scale.

Originally from Iran, Dr Rosh moved to Australia in the mid-1990s as part of the Bahá’í community, which faced severe persecution in her home country. Despite arriving with limited English, she completed high school, learned the language and went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the University of Adelaide in 2000. Today, Dr Rosh has more than 20 years of experience in cosmetic and general dentistry, having worked in both the UK and Australia. In 2007, she established Adelaide Cosmetic Dentistry in Unley, known for combining advanced dental technology with a boutique, patient-focused experience. In her spare time, she hosts her own podcast, is a published poet and is very active in her community and human-rights advocacy. We chat to Dr Rosh about her life and career to date and what led her to call Adelaide home.   

Originally from South Africa, JC is a Chartered Accountant who has lived and worked in Bermuda and New York before relocating to South Australia in 2024. He is now a Manager within the external assurance practice of PwC Adelaide whereby he leads various audit engagements from a diverse range of clients across the Australian territory with the purpose of building trust in society and solving important problems.His interests extend to community volunteering for social impact initiatives, as well as exploring the picturesque landscapes of Adelaide through cycling and hiking.We chat to JC about his life and career to date, what led him to Adelaide and what he loves about living in South Australia.

In this episode we have the pleasure of chatting with Spencer McKinney. Originally from the US, Spencer has lived and worked in Fiji, England and Wales before moving to Adelaide in late 2025, with his wife and young family, to work in project management as part of Mott MacDonald's defence team. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, learning the piano, hitting the gym, playing basketball and spending time at the beach and the great outdoors. We chat to Spencer about his experience moving to Adelaide, settling into life by the beach, exploring the Adelaide Central Markets and what he loves about his new hone time.

In this episode, we chat with Joshua Newnes. Originally from Mumbai, Josh has forged a successful career in copywriting and advertising, working across several multi-national creative agencies in the Middle East and India before moving to Adelaide in 2018. As a Senior Creative at Fuller, Josh is responsible for creative concepts, scripting, brand narratives, messaging and punchy copywriting, using his creativity to solve client challenges in unique and interesting ways. When he’s not flexing his creativity at work, you can find Josh amidst the beautiful chaos of his young family. We speak with Josh about his life and career to date, some of the amazing brands and campaigns he has worked on and what led him to Adelaide.

In this episode, we chat with Amerdeep and Poornima, also known as Nima, who arrived in Adelaide from India in mid- 2024. Adelaide quickly felt like home for the married couple, who made the move with their two young boys, Arjun (10) and Aryan (6). Amerdeep brings over 18 years of experience in the power and energy sector and Nima has re-trained in childcare, has worked in HR and sales and is now following her true passion by pursuing a career in interior design. She is also a content creator, sharing their real-life migration story on her YouTube channel 'Click to Life' to inspire others on a similar path.