Benchmarking Adelaide

In the final episode of the Benchmarking Adelaide Podcast, Committee for Adelaide Chief Executive, Sam Dighton, speaks with Jordon Tomopoulos, Advisor Economic Research, with Adelaide Economic Development Agency.AEDA is a subsidiary of the City of Adelaide and works closely with businesses, industry groups, state government agencies and other relevant organisations to deliver a range of programs designed to stimulate economic growth in the CBD. AEDA is firmly focused on investment attraction, growing the local visitor economy, residential growth, marketing the city as a whole and promoting Rundle Mall as Adelaide’s premier shopping destination. Jordan has been with AEDA for the past 3 years and as part of his role he monitors the city’s economic performance across a range of metrics, including expenditure, foot-traffic, occupancy rates, accommodation figures, residential population and demographics. Sam chats with Jordon about the latest Benchmarking Adelaide findings and her views on the future of Adelaide, South Australia.

In the fifth episode of the Benchmarking Adelaide Podcast, Committee for Adelaide Chief Executive, Sam Dighton, chats with Ben Parkinson, Managing Director of JLL - South Australia.JLL is a leading professional services firm that specialises in real estate and investment management including industrial, commercial, retail, residential and hotel real estate. As the Managing Director of JLL, Ben is responsible for the leadership, development and growth of the South Australian business. He has over 24 years’ experience in the commercial property markets and specialises in the sale of Institutional grade investment assets across office and retail. Sam chats with Ben about the latest Benchmarking Adelaide findings and his views on the future of Adelaide, South Australia.

In the fourth episode of the Benchmarking Adelaide Podcast, Committee for Adelaide Chief Executive, Sam Dighton, speaks with Emily Perry, General Manager Community and Corporate Affairs with RAARAA is South Australia’s largest member-based organisation providing motor, home and travel services for over 120 years. With over 800,000 members, RAA also delivers important educational programs for drivers, provides sponsorships and grants for community initiatives, and advocates on behalf of its members on matters of road safety and mobility issues. Emily has been with RAA for the past five years where she leads the Community & Corporate Affairs team, and is responsible for RAA’s public policy, government relations, communications, education and safety programs, and community partnerships. Sam chats with Emily about the latest Benchmarking Adelaide findings and her views on the future of Adelaide, South Australia.

In the third episode of the Benchmarking Adelaide Podcast, Committee for Adelaide Chief Executive, Sam Dighton, chats with Caillin Howard, Managing Director of Hames Sharley.Hames Sharley is a leading national interdisciplinary design practice, with a team of professionals actively undertaking work throughout Australia.Caillin Howard has a passion for evolving the quality of our urban spaces and built environments through the evolution of evidence-based processes and an absolute commitment to the journey of design. He has over 25 years’ experience with Hames Sharley, and has served as the Managing Director since 2014. Sam speaks with Caillin about the latest Benchmarking Adelaide findings and his views on the future of Adelaide, South Australia.

In the second episode of the Benchmarking Adelaide Podcast, Committee for Adelaide Chief Executive, Sam Dighton, chats with Shaun Westcott, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Australia. Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited is headquartered in Adelaide and is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, a global leader in automotive innovation. The company employs over 200 people across Australia and has a network of over 200 dealers and service centres. Shaun is a senior executive with substantial global experience in a wide range of industries and was recently named one of South Australia’s most influential people. Sam speaks with Shaun about the latest Benchmarking Adelaide findings, the importance of productivity and innovation and Shaun’s views on future opportunities for Adelaide, South Australia, including accelerating EVs and Hybrid EV infrastructure and adoption.

In this first episode of the new Benchmarking Adelaide Podcast, Committee for Adelaide Chief Executive, Sam Dighton, chats with Dr Tim Moonen, global cities expert and Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Business of Cities. The Business of Cities is an urban intelligence firm providing data and advice to 100 global cities. Tim leads a team of staff and associates with a global footprint - spanning London, Paris, Toronto, Belgrade and Auckland, providing cities and companies across the world with the intelligence, insights and data they need to innovate and succeed. Tim has collaborated closely with many of the world’s leading urban thought leadership teams at OECD, World Bank, ULI and Brookings Institution and co-authored more than 50 reports and books on city competitiveness, innovation, governance and performance. Sam speaks with Tim about the latest Benchmarking Adelaide findings, learnings for Adelaide from peer cities such as Porto, San Diego and Austin and gets Tim’s views on future opportunities of Adelaide, South Australia.

Following the launch of the 2025 Benchmarking Adelaidereport, we are sitting down with passionate South Australian leaders to discuss how Adelaide compares on a global scale. Benchmarking Adelaide is an exercise undertaken by theCommittee for Adelaide, in partnership with JLL, RAA, Hames Sharley, Mitsubishi Motors Australia, the Adelaide Economic Development Agency and the City of Adelaide, to assess how Greater Adelaide can capitalise on its strengths and maximise opportunities to help the city reach its full potential. The report measures Adelaide within a peer group of 20 global cities in areas such as economy, business dynamics, skills, transport, vibrancy, liveability, sustainability, and reputation, and puts forward a clear call to action for close collaboration, bold ambition and swift decision-making. In a series of 6 episodes, released every Monday, SamDighton speaks with Benchmarking Adelaide report partners about the importance and value of benchmarking, what Adelaide can learn from peer cities and how industry, government and community can collaborate to address challenges and unlock new opportunities.