Tech worker association ACS has dramatically changed CEOs, with Josh Griggs departing the role after just two years, replaced by former president Prins Ralston, effective immediately.
The change comes following a tumultuous time for the organisation, with both is Melbourne and Brisbane startup offices closing, replaced by a virtual offering, an ongoing decline in membership revenue in recent years, the loss of several long-standing senior executives during the Griggs tenure, and a $10.8 million turnaround in the business, from a $6.68 million loss in the 2024 financial year to a $4.14m surplus in FY25.
ACS has struggled to retain its CEO in recent years, following the long reign of Andrew Johnson, who departed in 2020 after five years.
He was replaced by American “Australophile” and former White House, and World Bank executive Chris Vein, who retired at the end of 2023 after just 18 months for health reasons.
Griggs became interim CEO for six months before his permanent appointment in June 2024, so his tenure is just 15-months long. His career spans IT and telecommunications, including Optus Business, Alphawest, and data centre operator Metronode.
Musical chairs
Dr Prins Ralston, a veteran Queensland tech executive, lawyer and director is an ACS life member and Adjunct Professor of business, law and governance at James Cook University. More recently he became a senior consultant at Directioneering, the largest privately owned, Australian provider of career management services. He’s a former CEO of Townsville City Council, but resigned suddenly after four years, following the 2024 Queensland local government elections.
While the CEO role, worth more than $600,000 a year, has been a game of musical chairs spanning four execs over the last six years, ACS also changes its President every two years by design.
Beau Tydd an industry professor at Deakin University with 25 years of tech experience, was elected ACS president last November for the 2026–27 term, succeeding Helen McHugh.
In a statement to Startup Daily, the organisation said: “The ACS Management Committee has announced a change in leadership, with Josh Griggs departing the Chief Executive Officer role. Dr Prins Ralston has been appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer effective today.”
Whoever takes on the task of leading ACS, they face a major financial challenge, since the company’s core revenue stream – membership fees represent less than 10% of total income – is professional standards income. It delivers more than 85% of total revenue via the Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) and Professional Year (PY) programs. That income rose from $40.6 million in FY24 to $49m in FY25, accounting for the turnaround in ACS’s fortunes
But it leaves the organisation at the mercy of government policy, with skilled migration a political hot potato amid pressure to cut immigration more broadly.
