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Martin Haese

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Martin Haese
Haese in 2026
Lord Mayor of Adelaide
In office
18 November 2014 – 11 November 2018
Deputy
Preceded byStephen Yarwood
Succeeded bySandy Verschoor
Personal details
BornMartin Kinnear Haese
1965 (age 60–61)
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Spouse
Genevieve Theseira
​
(m. 2010)​
EducationAustralian Institute of Business (MBA)
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • entrepreneur
Signature
Websitemartinhaese.com
Martin Haese's voice
Haese introducing Chris Bowen at a conference
Recorded 8 May 2025

Martin Kinnear Haese (born 1965) is an Australian businessman and entrepreneur who served as Lord Mayor of Adelaide from 2014 to 2018.

Haese was born in Adelaide, and his godmother was Roma Mitchell, with whom he remained in contact while growing up. In 1993, Haese established YouthWorks, an urban youth fashion business that expanded to 16 stores before being sold in 2005. He later obtained an Master of Business Administration and worked as a consultant. From 2010 to 2013, he was general manager of the Rundle Mall Management Authority and from 2010 to 2014 chaired the Bay to Birdwood event.

Haese was elected Lord Mayor of Adelaide on 8 November 2014, defeating incumbent Stephen Yarwood, and served until 11 November 2018, when he was succeeded by Sandy Verschoor. During his term, he chaired the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors in 2015 and was involved in initiatives concerning carbon neutrality, city infrastructure, cycling and economic development. In December 2018, he became chair of the Premier's Climate Change Council, and in May 2019 was appointed chief executive of Business SA. He left Business SA in 2022 and subsequently served on the South Australian Motor Sport Board and as honorary chairman of the Clipper Ship City of Adelaide. In March 2023, he was appointed South Australia's Trade and Investment Special Envoy to Singapore and South-East Asia.

Early life and education

[edit]

Martin Kinnear Haese[1] was born in Adelaide in 1965 to Cecily and David Haese, a lawyer who later served as a judge of the Industrial Court and the Family Court of Australia. His father was a partner in a Waymouth Street law firm with Roma Mitchell, Ted Mullighan and Doreen Davey, and Mitchell was Haese's godmother.[2] At the age of 10, Haese lived opposite Anne Moran.[3] He maintained contact with Mitchell while growing up and continued to see her after his father's death in 1985, including at Government House and family gatherings. Mitchell advised him when he was considering studying law, but he instead pursued a career in business.[2]

Career

[edit]

Early career (1993–2014)

[edit]

In 1993, at the age of 27, Haese established YouthWorks, an urban youth fashion business,[2] opening his first store in Rundle Mall. The business expanded into a franchise with 16 stores in Adelaide and Melbourne and more than 200 employees[3] before it was sold in 2005.[4] In 1998, he co-founded the South Australian chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization, and in 2001 he was appointed to the South Australian Youth Arts Board. During his early thirties, Haese addressed a fear of public speaking by accepting invitations to speak to business and community organisations.[2]

Haese later obtained a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Business[5] and worked as a consultant.[4] From 2010 to 2013, he was general manager of the Rundle Mall Management Authority,[2] a subsidiary of the City of Adelaide,[6] where he was involved in the introduction of public holiday trading[7] and the development of a proposal for a A$30 million public realm upgrade.[8] From 2010 to 2014, he served as chairman of the Bay to Birdwood motoring event[9] and held positions on boards including the Adelaide Convention Bureau.[5]

Lord Mayor of Adelaide (2014–2018)

[edit]

On 8 November 2014, Haese was elected Lord Mayor of Adelaide, defeating incumbent Stephen Yarwood by 218 votes after preferences were distributed. Yarwood led on first preferences, but Haese won the final count. At 49, Haese became the 63rd person to hold the office, with voter turnout recorded at 36 per cent.[10] During the campaign, he contributed about half of his approximately $30,000 campaign budget and said that his donors had not expected policy changes in return for their contributions.[3] Following his election, he identified council unity, engagement with the business community, debt and overhead management, infrastructure, internal efficiencies and economic activity as priorities.[11] He also proposed making Adelaide more supportive of entrepreneurship, establishing a council retail department, providing seed funding for businesses, managing competition from food trucks and pop-up businesses, reducing city speed limits and improving traffic-light management.[3] Haese was formally sworn in at an investiture ceremony on 18 November, overseen by Chief Justice Chris Kourakis.[12]

Haese speaking at the launch of the 2016 South Australia's History Festival at the Torrens Parade Ground

In 2015, Haese chaired the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors.[13][14] In November, he signed an agreement with Premier Jay Weatherill following the City of Adelaide's approval of its Carbon Neutral Strategy 2015–2025,[15] establishing a pathway towards carbon neutrality. He attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in December and promoted the city's target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2025.[16][17] During his term, he also considered issues including the future of Victoria Square, food trucks and temporary businesses, local government voting arrangements, city speed limits and the Frome Street bikeway.[3] In 2016, he supported expanding bicycle infrastructure through additional bicycle tracks, an east-west bicycle route and expansion of the Adelaide Free Bikes program,[18] and proposed an honorary "Night Mayor" to represent the city's night-time economy.[19] He also supported retaining existing local heritage legislation while allowing further discussion of proposed reforms.[20]

In 2017, Haese outlined council priorities including increasing Adelaide's residential population and workforce, heritage conservation, redevelopment of the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site and infrastructure projects at Bank Street, Topham Mall, Gawler Place and the Frome Bikeway, as well as tram extensions. The Carbon Neutral Adelaide Action Plan was announced in 2016 by the state government and council,[21] and in 2017 Haese announced the selection of Cool or Cosy to supply and install solar photovoltaic systems under the Solar Savers Adelaide initiative.[22][23] He continued to oppose proposed changes to heritage legislation and advocated financial and other assistance for owners maintaining heritage properties.[20] In November, he opposed a proposed $600,000 lighting installation at the River Torrens and resisted residential development in the riverbank area.[24] In December, the council under Haese approved the purchase of the former Le Cornu showroom site on O'Connell Street, North Adelaide, for $34 million, with Haese describing the transaction as a commercial decision intended to facilitate development of the site and surrounding precinct.[25][26] The same month, the City of Adelaide launched 10 Gigabit Adelaide, a fibre optic network developed with TPG that provided businesses in the CBD and North Adelaide with access to speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second.[23]

In 2018, Haese continued to support 10 Gigabit Adelaide, which he said strengthened the city's business infrastructure and contributed to attracting Technicolor's Mill Film studio.[27] During the campaign for the 2018 South Australian state election, he lobbied the major political parties on issues including the Adelaide Park Lands, tourism, heritage, infrastructure, business and city development.[24] He continued to oppose the Riverbank Authority's proposed lighting displays, including an interactive installation that had been approved for $600,000.[28] In September, Haese withdrew his candidacy for a second term as Lord Mayor, citing personal reasons,[29] after having begun campaigning for re-election. He remained in office until the local government election and said he did not intend to enter politics in the immediate future.[30] Several candidates he supported through Team Adelaide were elected to the new council.[31] Haese left office on 11 November 2018 and was succeeded by Sandy Verschoor.[32]

Later career (2018–present)

[edit]
Haese at the Industry Climate Change Conference 2025, Adelaide Convention Centre

In December 2018, following his decision not to seek a second term as Lord Mayor, Haese was appointed chair of the Premier's Climate Change Council,[33] an advisory body on greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and sustainability.[34][35] In early 2019, he was reported to be considering an independent candidacy for the federal seat of Adelaide, although he did not contest the election.[36] In May 2019, he became Chief Executive of Business SA, succeeding Nigel McBride.[4][37] In March 2020, he was appointed to the Marshall government's Industry Response and Recovery Council, established as part of the state's response to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.[38]

While leading Business SA, Haese continued as chair of the Premier's Climate Change Council and served on the Australian Broadband Advisory Council and the South Australian chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization. In August 2021, he was a member of the Australian Broadband Advisory Council, which advised the federal government on the economic and social benefits of high-speed broadband.[39] In May 2021, he ruled himself out of consideration for the vacant Business SA chief executive position following his eventual departure.[40] On 3 March 2022, Haese announced that he would leave Business SA and return to the private sector.[41] Later that month, he called for temporary relief from fringe benefits tax on meals and entertainment to support Adelaide CBD's businesses during the COVID-19 recovery.[42] In September 2022, he was appointed to the South Australian Motor Sport Board, established to oversee the return and longer-term development of the Adelaide 500.[43] In 2022, he also received an honorary chairmanship of the Clipper Ship City of Adelaide, having previously been associated with the vessel as Lord Mayor and unveiled its replica coat of arms in 2015.[44]

In March 2023, Haese was appointed by the Malinauskas government as South Australia's Trade and Investment Special Envoy to Singapore and South-East Asia for a two-year term, working under Trade and Investment Minister Nick Champion.[45] As of 2026, he is chair of the Adelaide Motorsport Festival and a member of the Rhodes Scholarship selection committee for Adelaide University.[46]

Personal life

[edit]
Haese and Theseira signing the visitor book aboard the City of Adelaide, 2015

Haese married for the first time in 1998, but the marriage ended after three years. He met Genevieve Theseira,[2] a Singapore-born entrepreneur,[47] at a conference in the Philippines in 2000, and they married in January 2010.[2] They share interests in the arts, music, cycling, heritage and cultural tourism.[48]

Haese began playing guitar at about the age of 10 and also plays piano and other instruments. In 2015, he performed at the New Year's Eve concert at Elder Park, following Adelaide's designation as a UNESCO City of Music.[49]

Haese developed an interest in classic cars during childhood, when he washed his father and grandfather's Holdens. He later became a collector and acquired vehicles including a 1969 Jensen Interceptor, a 1967 Jaguar 420G and a 1967 Vanden Plas Princess. He has restored and maintained the cars with assistance from specialists and has supported preservation activities and motoring clubs, which he associates with cultural tourism and employment.[50]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Premier's Climate Change Council: 2022-23 Annual Report" (PDF). Department for Environment and Water. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Spain, Katie (6 March 2015). "Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese talks about his late godmother, South Australian trailblazer Dame Roma Mitchell". The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Siebert, Bension (10 November 2014). "Who is Martin Haese?". InDaily. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 England, Cameron (1 February 2019). "Business SA new boss is former Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Martin Haese Australian Institute of Business Graduate". 25 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Martin Haese, Lord Mayor". Corporation of the City of Adelaide. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Changes to trading hours – a boon for Adelaide's vibrancy". Corporation of the City of Adelaide. 8 November 2011. Archived from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "New Faces for New Phase at Rundle Mall". 12 October 2012. Archived from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "Bay to Birdwood appoints Mal Hyde as New Chair" (PDF). March 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  10. ↑ Hough, Andrew (10 November 2014). "Martin Haese is new Adelaide City Council Lord Mayor". Sunday Mail. Retrieved 20 December 2014 – via Messenger.
  11. ↑ "Businessman Martin Haese elected as Adelaide's Lord Mayor". ABC News. 9 November 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "New Council Investiture Ceremony". City of Adelaide. 18 November 2014. Archived from the original on 4 September 2026. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "City of Adelaide Lord Mayor, Martin Haese is the new CCCLM Chair for 2015". Council of Capital City Lord Mayors. 22 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 December 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "Martin Haese". City of Adelaide. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Adelaide leads on reducing carbon emissions ahead of Paris Conference". City of Adelaide. 29 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2 September 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  16. ↑ Parkinson, Giles (15 December 2015). "Adelaide's 2025 carbon neutral target: It's about brand, livability and economics". Renew Economy. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "Adelaide plans to be world's first carbon-neutral city". Local Government Focus. 2015. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  18. ↑ Siebert, Bension (27 July 2016). "$12m deal to make Adelaide "the cycling capital of Australia"". InDaily. Archived from the original on 23 August 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  19. ↑ Kelton, Sam (2 August 2016). "Plan to introduce a Night Mayor in Adelaide to oversee live entertainment, late-night trading". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  20. 1 2 Haese, Martin (24 October 2017). "Martin Haese: Adelaide's heritage must be protected at all costs". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  21. ↑ Haese, Martin (29 December 2016). "Martin Haese: Strap in for the ride — a year of change is ahead for the City of Adelaide". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  22. ↑ "Solar Savers Adelaide partners with South Australian company". City of Adelaide. 20 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2 September 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  23. 1 2 Grove, Julia (7 December 2017). "Martin Haese: a mayor with a mission for Adelaide to lead, nationally". The Fifth Estate. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  24. 1 2 Gailberger, Jade (23 February 2018). "Martin Haese and the battle for Adelaide". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  25. ↑ "North Adelaide's vacant Le Cornu site a long-time eyesore". ABC News. 20 December 2017. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  26. ↑ Siebert, Bension (30 April 2018). "Public bought old Le Cornu site for up to $14m more than valuations". InDaily. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  27. ↑ Russell, Chris (25 May 2019). "Haese takes helm at Business SA and charts course for growth". Sunday Mail. Retrieved 2 September 2026 – via The Advertiser.
  28. ↑ Castello, Renato (30 April 2018). "Your verdict on the Torrens Riverbank light shows". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  29. ↑ Hough, Andrew (16 September 2018). "Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese won't contest upcoming council elections". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  30. ↑ Washington, David (17 September 2018). "Challenger turns frontrunner in Lord Mayoral race". InDaily. Archived from the original on 12 October 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  31. ↑ Siebert, Bension; Richards, Stephanie (12 November 2018). ""Team Adelaide" wins City Council majority". InDaily. Archived from the original on 2 September 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  32. ↑ Boisvert, Eugene (11 November 2018). "Wave of women takes control at South Australian council elections". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  33. ↑ Richardson, Tom (19 December 2018). "State Govt appoints Martin Haese to key climate change role". InDaily. Archived from the original on 2 September 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  34. ↑ State Govt appoints Martin Haese to key climate change role InDaily, 19 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  35. ↑ Karakulak, Helen (2 January 2026). SA on track for net zero despite 'catastrophic' forecasts InDaily. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  36. ↑ Thomas-Wilson, Simeon (14 January 2019). "Former Lord Mayor Martin Haese could stand for seat of Adelaide at 2019 Federal Election". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  37. ↑ Haese, Martin (27 May 2019). "Being a business owner forged my world view- Haese". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  38. ↑ "Covid-19 SA Update: Premier To Unveil $650 Million Jobs Rescue Package". Glam Adelaide. 25 March 2020. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  39. ↑ "Two new appointees to the Australian Broadband Advisory Council". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts. 19 August 2021. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  40. ↑ England, Cameron; James, Colin; Starick, Paul (21 May 2021). "Off the Record: Rumour mill in overdrive over contenders for Adelaide City Council's top role". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  41. ↑ England, Cameron (3 March 2022). "Business SA is on the hunt for a new boss as Martin Haese returns to private enterprise". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  42. ↑ Polychronis, Gabriel; Iannella, Antimo (8 March 2022). "The Advertiser Round Table: How to bring life back to Adelaide's CBD". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  43. ↑ Pavey, James (8 September 2022). "SA Motor Sport Board members revealed". Supercars. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  44. ↑ "NewChairAppointed". Clipper Ship City of Adelaide. Archived from the original on 18 May 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  45. ↑ "Special Envoy to Singapore appointed". Department of State Development. 15 March 2023. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  46. ↑ "Martin Haese, Adelaide lord mayor 2014-18, extends entrepreneurial skills to technology, climate action and mall". Adelaide AZ. Archived from the original on 2 September 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  47. ↑ "Women's Council". Multicultural Communities Council of SA. Archived from the original on 16 July 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  48. ↑ "Lord Mayor". City of Adelaide. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  49. ↑ Wilson, Roxanne (30 July 2016). "Lord Mayor Martin Haese talks of his passion for music ahead of the Adelaide Guitar Festival, starting August 11". Sunday Mail. Retrieved 2 September 2026 – via The Advertiser.
  50. ↑ Meegan, Genevieve (16 July 2019). "Off duty: How classic cars rev Martin Haese's engine - InDaily". InDaily. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
[edit]
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