SPA Australia appoints Elise Poiner as National Lead of Commercial practice

SPA Australia – formerly Proximity – has appointed Elise Poiner as the new National Lead of its Commercial practice.

A former senior public servant with the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC) and human services department, Poiner first joined Proximity as an expert advisor in 2024, and has been acting in the commercial lead role since September.

Purchased in the first half of last year, Proximity has since rebranded to SPA Australia, its team of 130-plus professionals spread across Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide now part of a 3,000-plus team in 30 locations extending to the US and UK.

“As a government-focused advisory, we have built our business around the unique needs of the public sector, and Elise brings a deep understanding of the commercial and governance challenges facing government agencies today, along with the practical experience needed to help clients deliver complex programs with confidence,” said SPA Australia managing director Zoe Lynam.

Poiner strikes as the perfect fit for SPA Australia, having kicked off her career in the law and financial services industries before then switching to the public sector as deputy and later general counsel for the Department of Human Services (now Services Australia). Tallying over a decade between the two, she then led the legal & compliance function at Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation.

Since joining SPA’s Commercial practice, and leading it for the past nine months, Poiner has advised a number of government departments and agencies on major programs covering commercial strategy, transformation, governance, and procurement, including Services Australia along with others such as the Department of Defence, Digital Transformation Agency, ATO, and ASIC.

Credited with having already strengthened the practice’s capability and deepened client relationships during her time at the firm, Poiner will now be responsible for leading a team of 30 professionals in a permanent capacity who together provide support for government clients on procurement, contract management, business cases, cost modelling, negotiations, and probity.

“I’m excited to work alongside our talented team, who are committed to solving problems and delivering tailored, high-quality services to meet our clients’ unique challenges, backed by our global team and specialist analytics capability,” Poiner said. “We are uniquely qualified to support them in making informed commercial decisions and navigate complex and evolving environments.”