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Sarah Pearson

Investment Committee Member at Main Sequence · Former Chancellor at University of New England (UNE)

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Sarah Pearson

About Sarah Pearson

Sarah Pearson is a non-executive director and innovation adviser who sits on the Investment Committee of the venture firm Main Sequence and is a member of the Foreign Investment Review Board. She is also a director of ANSTO Nuclear Medicine and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

She was Chancellor of the University of New England from November 2024 to June 2026. Earlier she was Chief Scientist and Chief Innovation Officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, founding chief executive of the CBR Innovation Network, chief executive of ANU Enterprise and global head of open innovation at Cadbury. She holds a DPhil in particle physics from Oxford.

In 2022 she talked about the importance of cooperation and competition on The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem interview series.

In conversation.

5 episodes

Start hereSarah Pearson on the importance of cooperation and competitionHer own interview: why a startup ecosystem needs both cooperation and competition, from someone who has worked across science, government and venture capital.

Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 3

With Michael Batko, Wayne Gerard, Petr Adámek, Peter Devine, Rohit Bhargava, Terry Hilsberg, Peter Bradd, Zrinka Tokic, Rachael Neumann, Zoe Piper, Susan Oliver, Silvia Pfeiffer, Murray Hurps, Rachel Yang, Yolanda Redrup, Peta Ellis, Niki Scevak, Colin Kinner, Mark Pesce, Colette Grgic, Ian Gardiner, Lauren Capelin, Matt Barrie, Melissa Widner, Cameron Adams, Georgie Turner, Baden U'Ren, Evan Thornley, Alan Noble, Kate Jones, Kate Cornick, James Alexander, Dharmica Mistry, Emily Rich, Lars Rasmussen

Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 4

With Simon Thomsen, Tim Boyle, David Burt, Rachel Yang, Bruce Tulloch, Cheryl Mack, Lucinda Hartley, Joshua Flannery, Megan Sebben, Alex Scandurra, Phil Ireland, Julie Trell, Peter Devine, Dean McEvoy, Craig Swann, Colette Grgic, Pete Horsley, Aaron Birkby, Annie Parker, Paul Bassat, Maxine Sherrin, Malcolm Turnbull, James Alexander, Melissa Widner, Hamish Hawthorn, Lauren Capelin

Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 5

With Mark Pesce, Steve Grace, Eloise Hall, Isobel Marshall, Darryl Lyons, Megan Sebben, Phil Ireland, Wayne Gerard, Sam Jockel, Samantha Finnegan, Arthur Sinodinos, Peter Devine, Tim Fung, Peter Tippett, Trevor Folsom, Dean McEvoy, Moira Were, Kate Jones, Daniel Flynn, Mick Liubinskas, Peter Bradd, Rachael Neumann, Chad Renando, Annie Parker, Aaron Birkby, Rachel Yang, Melissa Widner, Colin Kinner, Lauren Capelin, Bruce Tulloch, Matt Barrie, Kate Cornick, Cheryl Mack, Andrea Gardiner, Niki Scevak

Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 6

With Leslie Delaforce, Darryl Lyons, Megan Sebben, Wayne Gerard, Nicole O'Brien, Alex Carpenter, Evan Thornley, Baden U'Ren, Tim Fung, Trevor Folsom, Peter Davison, Craig Swann, Moira Were, Colette Grgic, Allan O'Connor, Rachael Neumann, Chad Renando, Annie Parker, Brendan Hill, Aaron Birkby, Malcolm Turnbull, Jodie Fox, Susan Oliver, Silvia Pfeiffer, Yolanda Redrup, Andrew Nunn, Melissa Widner, Alfred Lo, Phil Hayes-St Clair, Colin Kinner, Lauren Capelin, Matt Barrie, Kate Cornick, Cheryl Mack, Andrea Gardiner, Niki Scevak

Go straight to the good bits.

Key moments from Sarah Pearson on the importance of cooperation and competition.

  1. 0:29Meet Sarah Pearson
  2. 0:41Sarah's Experience in Innovation
  3. 1:05Early Involvement in Startups and Innovation
  4. 2:03Transition from Particle Physics to Innovation
  5. 3:04Using Innovation for Social Impact
  6. 3:52Understanding the Meaning of Innovation
  7. 4:49The Role of Startups in Innovation
  8. 6:05Development of the Innovation Ecosystem in Australia
  9. 7:50The Impact of Government Policy on Innovation
  10. 9:11Current State of the Innovation Ecosystem in Australia

In their own words.

“You wouldn't achieve anything without competition, but you need to be able to work out where you collaborate and where you compete.”
Sarah Pearson — Sarah Pearson on the importance of cooperation and competitionThe History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series · 13 February 2022

The path so far.

  1. Now

    Investment Committee Member · Main Sequence

  2. Earlier

    Chief Scientist and Chief Innovation Officer · Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

  3. Earlier

    Chief Executive Officer · ANU Enterprise

  4. Earlier

    Global Head of Open Innovation · Cadbury

Sources: netimes.com.au

Main Sequence on Day One

Main Sequence is an Australian venture capital firm that invests in deep tech companies, including those built on public research.

4 people · 10 episodes
Main Sequence

Across the network.

Spot something wrong? Suggest a correctionUpdated 29 October 2026

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