Mr Ian Yates AM spent 20 years as Chief Executive of the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia, the national peak consumer body for older Australians. He was appointed Interim Inspector-General of Aged Care for the period of 30 January 2023 to 15 October 2023.

His relationship with COTA goes back to 1989, when he was Chief Executive of COTA SA before starting in the national leadership role in 2002. Before his role as acting Inspector-General, he held various positions including:

• Inaugural chair of the Council of Elders
• Member of the National Aged Care Advisory Council
• Member of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Advisory Council
• Member of the Aged Care Financing Authority.
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR).

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2005 and is an Honorary Doctor and Emeritus Deputy Chancellor of Flinders University.