Executive leaders
Read about our executive leadership team at the Department of Customer Services, Open Data and Small and Family Business.
Chris Lamont
Director-General
Before being appointed Director-General for the Department of Customer Services, Open Data and Small and Family Business, Chris Lamont was the NSW Small Business Commissioner. In this role he was instrumental in the design of over $8 billion in financial assistance programs to support small business during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with targeted financial assistance to support recovery following natural disasters.
Chris has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. He has held senior positions in federal, state and local governments, working in policy development and advocacy where he helped deliver major reforms and national programs.
In the private sector he has led not-for-profit and commercial businesses across a range of industries including construction, facilities management and health care.
Having grown up in regional Queensland, Chris has a particularly strong interest in supporting regional communities.
Irene Violet
Deputy Director-General
Customer, Small and Family Business
Irene has more than 20 years' experience working in state and federal governments, largely focused on service transformation and delivery. Most recently, Irene was the Deputy Director-General, Corporate Services at the Department of Energy and Climate.
Irene has a keen interest in ensuring programs are people-centric and that digital technologies are leveraged to enhance customer and employee experience. She has led policy and programs in communities, digital economy, employment, small business and training.
Irene has also led Queensland Shared Services, modernising and optimising the shared services used by agencies and departments. She has also held previous senior executive roles, with responsibilities for corporate services, customer services and specialist advisory teams, and has been a member of the Workplace Health and Safety Board of Queensland.
Steven Koch
Deputy Director-General
Service Centre Operations
Steve has over 25 years of public sector experience, leading service delivery, program management and regulatory functions.
He is passionate about the economic and social outcomes that government services and programs provide, particularly the impact for individuals, and is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion.
Steve has a strong background in small and family business as well as employment and training, having held executive roles in departments responsible for these sectors over the past decade. He grew up in a number of regional towns across Queensland and has an appreciation for the important role that small and family businesses as well as Government service delivery have in our communities.
He holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Business Management from the University of Queensland and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors – Company Directors Course.
Mark Howard
Deputy Director-General
Data and Digital Government
Mark is an experienced public sector executive with a strong record leading whole‑of‑government digital, data and technology reform. He has overseen major cross‑agency strategies, strengthened digital governance and assurance, uplifted cyber and digital capability, and guided large‑scale investment programs that improve service delivery and organisational performance.
Before joining the Queensland Government, Mark held senior roles in the New South Wales public sector, including leading statewide digital strategy, investment and assurance. His earlier career in the financial services sector provided a strong foundation in complex transformation, regulatory uplift and enterprise technology delivery.
Mark is committed to building a digitally confident public sector and enabling secure, connected and data‑driven services for Queenslanders.
Amanda Edie
Acting Deputy Director-General
Corporate Services
Amanda Edie is an accomplished people leader with over 20 years of experience in delivering contemporary HR services across organisations of varying sizes.
As a trusted advisor to senior and executive leaders, Amanda is dedicated to advancing human resources strategies with organisational priorities to achieve transformative results. She has a proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams that deliver high-value HR services.
In her previous roles, Amanda has led the development and implementation of key strategic workforce initiatives, as well as enterprise bargaining negotiations for multiple departments.
Amanda holds a Bachelor of Business Management with a major in Human Resources and Industrial Relations and a Master of Employment Relations.