Leadership
Scott Owen
Public-sector executive leader and technologist — CEO of Aspire Executive Solutions, former CEO of Mackay Regional Council, and author of Lead with Purpose.
Scott Owen is an executive leader whose career spans military service, senior roles in Australian local government, and the founding of an Australian enterprise-AI company. His work is defined by a consistent theme: leading people and organisations through significant change while keeping service to the community at the centre.
Enterprise AI at Aspire Executive Solutions
Scott is the CEO of Aspire Executive Solutions, an Australian company that designs and operates premium AI voice and chat agents for government and business. The company is built around a governance-first philosophy — that automation in public-facing services must be accountable, accurate, and measurable, never a black box. Under the ASPIRE™ Enterprise AI Framework, Aspire delivers AI as a managed service with human-grade standards for reliability and transparency.
The company's focus reflects Scott's own conviction that technology should extend an organisation's capacity to serve, not replace its duty of care to the people who rely on it.
Public-sector leadership
Scott served as Chief Executive Officer of Mackay Regional Council from 2022 to 2025 — one of the larger regional local governments in Queensland — where he led the organisation and its executive team through a period of significant change.
Before Mackay, Scott held a senior leadership role as an Executive Manager at Brisbane City Council — Australia's largest local government — leading major operational and frontline services across the city.
Earlier in his career, Scott served in the British Armed Forces, an experience that shaped his approach to leadership under pressure, disciplined execution, and duty to team and community.
Author & commentary
Scott is the author of Lead with Purpose (available on Amazon), a book on values-driven leadership drawn from his experience leading large public organisations through change. He writes and speaks on executive leadership in local government and the responsible adoption of AI in the public sector — see his insights.
Areas of focus
Executive leadership Local government Organisational transformation Responsible AI Public-sector service delivery Values-based leadership