Parbery South Australia: Building connections for new opportunities

Our Parbery team in Adelaide is growing! In May we were excited to welcome Senior Manager Jennifer Staines. Jen brings energy and experience to our South Australian presence alongside our dynamic duo, Partner Trevor Woolley and Principal Adam Costantini.

Our SA team is eager to expand in order to strengthen client delivery and build meaningful connections across local networks. Whether it’s a public or private sector engagement, the SA team is actively listening, learning and collaborating.

Here’s a look at what they’ve been up to.

Parbery SA is hiring

We are on the lookout for project management and commercial professionals based in Adelaide. Find out more on our careers page.

CIPS morning coffee

On 21st May, our SA Commercial Principal Adam Costantini attended the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply morning Coffee in the Adelaide CBD. This event followed the highly successful AI in Procurement panel in April (you can read Adam’s summary here). This was a chance to connect with Procurement and Contracting professionals from utilities, mining, consulting and construction to share insights about procurement opportunities, trends and challenges in Adelaide. A highlight for Adam was meeting a couple of University of SA graduates and hearing about their entry into the world of Procurement.

A purposeful day with Foodbank SA

Last 9 May, our Senior Consultant Jennifer Staines attended the Foodbank SA, NT Women in Business Luncheon. Jennifer has worked closely with Foodbank in every Australian state over the years and remains a committed advocate for the organisation and its mission.

The event brought together women in leadership from across South Australia, sharing valuable insights into resilience, representation, and the power of collective impact.  

For Jennifer, it was a reminder that when women lead with authenticity and purpose, they create lasting influence, in their workplaces and in the wider community.

As food insecurity continues to affect families in remote, metropolitan and regional areas, the work of Foodbank has never been more critical. Events like this provide a valuable opportunity to listen, learn, and remain connected to the challenges facing both our Indigenous families and wider communities.

Thank you to keynote speakers Anna Wiley, Asset President Copper South Australia at BHP, Caroline Rhodes, Chief Executive Officer at Primary Producers SA, and Maria Palumbo, Chief Executive Officer at Junction Australia, for sharing their leadership journeys and insights, and to Foodbank SA, NT for creating space for meaningful conversations and connections with women in leadership roles in South Australia.

AEDA Business Summit  

Last 20 May, Trevor and Adam Costantini attended the Adelaide Economic Development Agency Business Summit 2025 at Adelaide Oval. The Summit brought together more than 450 people across academia, policy makers, industry leaders, small business and state/local government stakeholders to examine the theme of ‘Global Ambitions, Local Foundations: Defining Adelaide’s Next Era.’

The day combined a series of keynote speeches and panels examining a range of strategic issues including attracting talent, housing affordability, economic growth and innovation. Notable speakers included:

• Simon Kuestenmacher (The Demographics Group Co-founder) who provided data driven insights into Adelaide’s population and how we need to retain young talent in Adelaide over the coming decade to offset our ageing population

• Premier the Hon. Peter Malinauskas who outlined how the South Australian Government were using policy levers to drive economic growth (including a bid for COP26)

• Peter Tullin (REMIX Summits), who confidently gave the attendees a quick, yet entertaining introduction into what the experience economy is, and how Adelaide could leverage its cultural strengths to become a leader in global immersive tourism.  

There were also ample opportunities for both Adam and Trevor to engage with Adelaide’s business community and consider the subject matter of the day.  Their key insights included:  

• Adelaide’s strengths lie in its cultural identity and creativity – this should be attracting young people to the state  

• Adelaide has an emerging innovation ecosystem (through lot 14), a strong Defence industry presence and an impressive reputation for health research. But much like other cities, housing affordability has been a barrier for people moving to South Australia to fuel growth.

• There is a strong need to further integrate Adelaide’s business and academic communities providing real world insights/feedback into Adelaide’s universities, but also fostering innovation through commercialisation of research and development  

• There are untapped opportunities in the Experience Economy, fuelled by Gen Z and millennials wanting to spend money on experiences, rather than products. Experiences such as the Omega Mart in Las Vegas, City Museum in St Louis and Meow Wolf in Santa Fe provide blueprints that could be replicated in Adelaide.  

• Adelaide’s business and academic community are highly passionate about the city – our story (and successes) need to be shared more broadly.

Defence opportunities for SMEs in North West Adelaide

Parbery Partner Trevor Woolley and Senior Manager Jennifer Staines attended Defence Opportunities for SMEs in North West Adelaide last 22 May.

What made this event stand out was the openness of the discussion and the practical, unfiltered advice offered to SMEs looking to enter or expand in the Defence sector. For SMEs across Adelaide’s north-west, there’s real opportunity ahead, driven by planning, persistence, and partnerships.

Read more about valuable panel perspectives in our LinkedIn post.