Appointment of Director Environment and Infrastructure, Jade Ballantine
Following an extensive recruitment process, Council is delighted to announce the appointment of Jade Ballantine as Director Environment and Infrastructure, commencing on 7 July 2025.
Jade is a social scientist with a degree in Environmental Management. With over twenty years’ experience working in Local and State Government, as well as running her own successful environmental consulting business whilst raising her family, she brings a wealth of experience to our team.
She began her career in Port Adelaide, the heart of Adelaide's industrial areas, improving the environmental practices of the heaviest industries before moving to the Environment Protection Authority and managing Adelaide's water supply catchments in the Adelaide Hills through the millennium drought.
Jade is passionate about practical environmental improvements having authored State Government policies on water sensitive urban design, aquifer storage and recovery, stormwater and marine industrial impacts.
Recently, she has led the Directorate of City Growth for the City of Whyalla as it embarked on its push to net zero and the transition into green iron and renewable energies. She has navigated sustainability change involving the most difficult of transitions, in remote and regional areas, with local economies and communities that are reliant on industrial practices with significant environmental impact.
Living in the Adelaide Hills with her two teenage children, she is extremely passionate about preparedness for the impacts of climate change and was recently awarded the National Emergency Medal for her work on Lower Eyre Peninsula bushfires in 2019.
Jade has spent almost ten years in regional communities and is looking forward to coming home to her treasured Adelaide Hills and watershed catchments. She is excited to be working alongside colleagues at Adelaide Hills Council to continue the work of environment protection and sustainable development in the Directorate of Environment and Infrastructure.
We warmly welcome Jade to the Adelaide Hills Council team.
