About Wade
No candidate is as infinitely qualified as Wade for the role of Police Association president.
His industrial relations knowledge, police experience, negotiation skills, and extensive network of government and public-service contacts is unmatched. Also extensive is his list of relevant academic qualifications. There are his graduate diplomas in strategic leadership, crisis leadership and portfolio management; his graduate certificates in business administration and applied management.
He also holds advanced diplomas in government (policy and governance) and human resource management. Wade is a fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a professional member of both the Institute of Public Administration of Australia and the Industrial Relations Society of South Australia. He received the Australian Institute of Management prize for the highest subject mark internationally (98 per cent) for business management. His current study is for a Master of Business Administration.
Wade is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a delegate of SA Unions, and a fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.
Wade’s vast experience of board membership existed even before he became deputy president of the Police Association and later took his place on the Premier’s Taskforce. Wade is Chair of both the Basketball South Australia Commission and Woodcroft College Council, a member of the Police Superannuation SA board, and member of the Public Safety and Government Industry Skills Council.
Wade is a formidable negotiator because he is first and foremost an accomplished communicator. In his well-known personable style, he responds to members in a way they would expect of their president. He offers a firm handshake, looks a member in the eye, gives his full attention, and listens intently to what he or she has to say. There is no bravado, no bluster, and no pretence about him. He absorbs what he hears and, at the right time, offers his view, his perspective, a suggestion or, indeed, a solution.
Outside of his police career, Wade is an endurance sports enthusiast. He has completed multiple sub three-hour marathons, sub-10 hour IRONMAN events and is a three times IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship qualifier. Wade has cycled from Adelaide to Melbourne, helping to raise more than $100,000 for Canteen, which helps young Australians battling cancer. In 2017, Wade cycled more than 3,000 kilometres in 15 days along the coast from Adelaide to Port Macquarie to the start line of IRONMAN Australia — raising more than $30,000 to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
.jpg)
Countless doors are open to high achievers like Wade, who could accept opportunities in high levels of government, private industry, or the corporate world. He has that rare combination of talents: police experience, business acumen, academic prowess, and professional relationships – he knows the political movers and shakers.
“It might be the philanthropist in me,” he says, “but what I ask myself is: where can I serve the most useful purpose? Where can I do the most good for the people I care most about?
“The simple answer is that, at the core of my motivation, is the deep regard I have for police, all of whom are my workmates and many my close friends.
“Members are owed the best, most competent union leader.
“And, with my unique skills and experience, I can fulfill the presidential role with confidence, tenacity, and determination. I recognise, as we all should, that it’s the most important of all roles to the very existence and future of the association.”
My Career
