Norman Boardman

Norman Keith Boardman AO FAA FRS FTSE (born 16 August 1926) is an Australian biochemist who made contributions to the understanding of photosynthesis. He led Australia's main public research organisation, CSIRO, through a period of major change and restructure.

He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1972, a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1978 and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 1986. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1993.

Early life and education Keith Boardman was born in Geelong, Victoria on 16 August 1926. His father worked for the Victorian Railways and his mother was a dressmaker. His mother was a 'strong character' and 'helped him a lot with spelling and writing'. He attended Geelong High School where he won a Rushall Scholarship which enabled him to complete the final two years of his secondary education at Melbourne Boy's High School.

He graduated with a BSc from University of Melbourne in 1946 and later, after winning a Daffyd Lewis Trust Scholarship to continue his studies at Melbourne, he completed a Masters degree in physical chemistry on the thermodynamics of molten salts in 1949. He later went to University of Cambridge on a further Daffyd Lewis Trust Scholarship where he undertook a PhD.

His research focused on protochlorophyll and its conversion to chlorophyll. Working with Dr Jan Anderson, he helped characterise chlorophyll-protein complexes and used this work to demonstrate that the two photochemical systems of photosynthesis are physically separated. He also studied the structure and development of chloroplasts in green plants.

He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles, to further this research. In 1967, he received the University of Melbourne's David Syme Research Prize for his work in biochemistry, particularly on photosynthesis and chlorophyll. In 1969, he was awarded the Lemberg Medal by the Australian Biochemical Society in recognition of his pioneering research into the biochemistry, development, and molecular architecture of chloroplasts, particularly his contribution to the separation of the two photochemical systems of photosynthesis.

In the 1970s Boardman was actively involved with the Australian Biochemical Society where he was the Treasurer from 1957-1961 and with the biology panel of the Australian Research Grants Committee (ARGC) of which he became the Chair in 1975.

Boardman was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1972 for his work on the development, structure, and function of higher plant chloroplasts.

From 1957 to 1961, he served as Treasurer of the Australian Biochemical Society. He also served on the biology panel of the Australian Research Grants Committee (ARGC), becoming Chair in 1975.

CSIRO Leadership Boardman was appointed as a full-time member of the CSIRO Executive in 1977 for one year. This was the year of the Birch enquiry into CSIRO and longer appointments were not being made until the outcome of that report was clear. In the period from 1977 until the election of the Hawke government in 1983 Boardman was a key driver in the implementation of the Birch report with its Institute structure and greater emphasis on obtaining user input into the Organisation's research program. He worked closely with the Chairman, Paul Wild

The Birch report had endorsed the idea of CSIRO as an ongoing national research organisation. The report recognised that CSIRO (and before it, CSIR) had been doing a reasonable job in identifying and implementing a wide range of important national objectives for the conduct of research. It also recognised the importance of appointing world leading scientists to manage teams of scientists, and that CSIRO had generally proven itself in this role. While accepting that CSIRO's practice of reviewing its Divisions on a regular basis had been productive, it criticised CSIRO's failure to plan its work, particularly at the national strategic level, in a way that was properly transparent. It therefore recommended the establishment of a Planning and Evaluation Advisory Unit. It fell largely to Boardman to respond to this challenge.

Another substantial recommendation of the Birch report was to reorganise the top management of CSIRO into a small number of Institutes, each comprising relevant Divisions and associated units and centres. Boardman took on the job of implementing this recommendation. The changes were not popular amongst many of the Chiefs of Divisions who had enjoyed considerable independence.

The election of the Hawke government with Barry Jones as the science minister and the retirement of Paul Wild, saw Boardman appointed as Chairman of CSIRO from 1985 to 1986. The Hawke government asked the Australian Science and Technology Committee (ASTEC) to review CSIRO. That review recommended further changes in the governance arrangements of CSIRO namely that the Organisation be governed by an independent Board and managed by a Chief Executive. That is that Boardman's previous position as Chairman (and Chief Executive) be split into two roles in line with governance best practice. Neville Wran (the former Premier of NSW) was appointed as the first Chairman under the new arrangements and Boardman as the first Chief Executive. The position of Chairman was part time and that of Chief Executive was full time.

The first Board meeting was held in December 1986 and the Board appointed Boardman as the Chief Executive. He understood that he had two main tasks. The first was to ensure that the tradition of pursuing world class science and applying this to problems in the Australian economy, a tradition established by Julius, Rivett, Clunies Ross and White be maintained and strengthened, and the second, that the new Governance arrangements be implemented as smoothly as possible. He succeeded in both of those tasks and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1993 'in recognition of service to science and to the CSIRO'.

Awards and recognition Boardman was awarded the David Syme Research Prize in 1967 and the Lemberg Medal in 1969. He was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1972 and Fellow of the Royal Society in 1978. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 1993 Australia Day Honours for his contribution to science and to the CSIRO.