Governance
University governance
The University of Melbourne was established by an Act of the Victorian Parliament in April 1853. The 13-member University Council is the governing body of the University and oversees its entire direction and superintendence.
Council
The formal Council meeting is normally preceded by an informal session focused on strategy discussion. This format provides an opportunity for Council to dedicate time to emerging strategic matters and give constructive input to strategy development. In 2020, special meetings of Council were held to consider aspects of the University’s pandemic response in accordance with Council’s powers.
For information on Council member attendance at 2020 Council meetings, see page 95 of the annual report PDF.
For information on the Governance diagram, see pg 94 of the annual report.
Allan J Myers AC QC
Chancellor
BA, LLB (Hons) Melb BCL Oxon DUniv ACU Hon LLD Melb FUniv Melb
Appointed Chancellor 1 January 2017 and reappointed in 2019 for second term commencing 1 January 2020. Chair of University of Melbourne’s Humanities Foundation Board and inaugural Chair of Campaign Board for Believe – The Campaign for the University of Melbourne. Governor of Ian Potter Foundation. President of Council of Trustees of the National Gallery of Victoria from 2003 until 2012. Chair of National Gallery of Australia Council and Museums and Art Galleries Board of the Northern Territory from 2012 until 2018. Member of Council of Newman College, and of Graduate Studies Advisory Board of the Law Faculty at the University of Melbourne and of the Law Faculty at Oxford University. Founding Chair of Grattan Institute from 2008 until 2015. Director of publicly listed companies in Europe and of private and unlisted companies in Australia and elsewhere. Queen’s Counsel in all Australian states and territories and barrister in England, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Philanthropist and businessman.
Term of office concluding 31 December 2022.
Jane Hansen AO
Deputy Chancellor
BEc Monash MFin&BA Columbia BA Melb FUniv Melb
Appointed 1 January 2016 (Governor-in-Council appointment). Reappointed 1 July 2019. Elected Deputy Chancellor 1 January 2018. Re-elected Deputy Chancellor 1 January 2019. Re-elected Deputy Chancellor in November 2020 for term commencing 1 January 2021. Field of experience: international investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, strategy and corporate finance. Chair of Board of Management of Melbourne Theatre Company. Deputy Chair for Believe – the Campaign for the University of Melbourne. Member of Advisory Board for Melbourne Humanities Foundation. Board member of Opera Australia. Board member of The Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and member of Chief Executive Women. Chair and CEO of Hansen Little Foundation.
Term of office concluding 31 December 2021.
Professor Duncan Maskell
Vice Chancellor
MA Cantab PhD Cantab FMedSci HonAssocRCVS
Appointed Vice-Chancellor 1 October 2018. Past Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Cambridge. Director of Grattan Institute, Melbourne Business School and Melbourne Theatre Company. Member of Group of Eight. Ex-officio member of University companies and controlled entities.
Professor Nilss Olekalns
President of Academic Board
BEc Adel MEc ANU MA UWO PhD LaTrobe
Appointed 1 January 2017. Ex-officio member of Council as elected President of Academic Board. Field of experience: applied macroeconomics, fiscal and monetary policies, exchange rates, output and inflation volatility, and interest rates. Recipient of numerous awards for teaching including the inaugural Edward Wood Prize for Teaching Excellence.
Term of office concluded 31 December 2020.
Nadia Carlin
BCom Melb
Appointed 1 January 2019 (Council appointment). Field of experience: risk and assurance management, provision of audit services to public and private companies in Australia across diverse range of industries and business models. Chief Risk Officer and member of Executive Board at PwC. Past member of PwC’s Assurance Leadership Team and former PwC Governance Board member. Advisor to Trustees of Edwin and Marion Flack Charitable Trust. Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.
Term of office concluding 31 December 2021.
Dr Andrew Cuthbertson AO
BMedSci Melb MBBS Melb PhD Melb
Appointed 1 January 2020 (Council appointment). Field of experience: biotechnology, molecular biology, immunology. Senior Advisor to CEO, CSL Limited and Executive Director of CSL Limited Board. Board Member of Centre for Eye Research Australia and the Grattan Institute. Fellow of Australian Academy of Science, Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and Australian Academy of Technological Sciences. Enterprise Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne.
Term of office concluding 31 December 2022.
Mark Leibler AC
LLB (Hons) Melb LLM Yale Hon LLD Melb
Appointed 1 April 2017 (Ministerial appointment). Reappointed 1 January 2020. Field of experience: law, business, and Jewish affairs. Senior Partner, Arnold Bloch Leibler. Former Co-Chair, Referendum Council. National Chairman, Australia/ Israel & Jewish Affairs Council. Governor of Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce. Member of Executive of Jewish Agency for Israel and member of Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University.
Term of office concluding 31 December 2022.
Mr Andrew Sisson AO
BSci Melb
Appointed 1 January 2020 (Council appointment). Field of experience: investment management. Director of Opera Australia. Trustee of Helen Macpherson Smith Trust. Fellow of Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Term of office concluding 31 December 2022.
Wendy Stops
BAppSc (IT) CIT GAICD
Appointed 1 January 2016 (Governor-in-Council appointment). Reappointed 1 July 2019 Field of experience: information technology (including large-scale program management) and management consulting, risk and quality management, across many industry sectors and geographies. Non-Executive Director at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (retired 13 October 2020), Coles Group, and Fitted for Work. Chair of Industry Advisory Board for Centre for Business Analytics, Melbourne Business School. Member of Digital Experts Advisory Committee for Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Digital Technology Taskforce. Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Governance of Technology and Innovation Panel.
Term of office concluding 31 December 2021.
Professor Joseph J. Y. Sung SBS JP
MBBS HKU MD CUHK PhD UCalgary FRCP (London) FRCP (Edin) FRCP (Glasgow) FRACP FAGA FACG FHKCP FHKAM (Medicine)
Appointed 1 January 2018 (Council appointment). Reappointed 1 January 2021 Field of experience: gastroenterology, university teaching and leadership. Mok Hing Yiu Professor of Medicine, Director of Institute of Digestive Disease and Chair Professor in Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2010 to 2017).
Term of office concluding 31 December 2023.
Dr Helen Szoke AO
BA Tas GDip Melb PhD Melb Hon LLD Deakin FIPA GAICD FAIIA FIPAA
Appointed 16 May 2018 (Governor-in-Council appointment). Reappointed 1 January 2021 Field of experience: public policy, social justice, human rights and discrimination. Previously, CEO of Oxfam Australia since 2013 and current non-executive Director. Board member of Life Without Barriers and Climate Ready Project Griffith University. Interim Chair of You Matter. Member of the Judicial Commission of Victoria and Advisory Board for the Melbourne School of Government.
Term of office concluding 31 December 2023.
Professor Marilys Guillemin
Staff-elected member of Council
PhD Melb MEd Murdoch DipEd Melb BAppSc RMIT
Appointed 1 October 2016. Reappointed 1 October 2019. Field of experience: health sociology and ethics. Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. Board member, Orygen.
Term of office concluding 30 September 2022.
Desiree Cai
Student-elected member of Council
Appointed 1 December 2020. Field of experience: current Bachelor of Arts student at the University of Melbourne. President of National Union of Students in 2019. Consultant on TEQSA Student Expert Advisory Group in 2019. President of University of Melbourne Student Union in 2018.
Term of office concluding 30 November 2022.
Tyson Holloway-Clarke
BA (Hons) Melb
Appointed 1 October 2016. Reappointed 1 Oct 2018. Field of experience: current Juris Doctor student at the University of Melbourne. President of University of Melbourne Student Union in 2016 and Indigenous Officer in 2015.
Term of office concluded 30 September 2020.
Governance structure 2020
Governance of University of Melbourne, subject to provisions of University of Melbourne Act 2009, is detailed in Part 3 of Council Standing Resolutions. Council was assisted in its deliberations in 2020 by the work of the following standing committees. Membership of Council committees comprises external members of Council and other external appointees with relevant expertise in business and commerce, audit and compliance, risk management, financial management, philanthropy and law.
Academic governance
Academic Board is established by Council under University of Melbourne Act 2009 and by the University of Melbourne Statute. The Board is responsible to Council for quality assurance in academic activities including maintenance of high standards in teaching, learning and research, development of academic and research policy, and acts as final appeal body for students. The President of Academic Board is a biennially elected position and is supported by a Vice-President and Deputy Vice-President.
President of Academic Board
Professor Nilss Olekalns
BEc Adelaide MA UWO MEc ANU PhD La Trobe
Vice-President of Academic Board
Professor Janet Hergt
BSc(Hons) La Trobe PhD ANU
Deputy Vice-President of Academic Board
Professor Andrew Kenyon
LLB(Hons) Melb LLM London PhD Melb
Standing committees of Academic Board report to the Board after every meeting on matters within their terms of reference. Academic Board met eight times in 2020 and was supported in its work by the following sub-committees:
- Academic Programs Committee
- Higher Degrees by Research Committee
- Selection Procedures Committee
- Teaching and Learning Quality Assurance Committee.
Senior leadership
University Executive
University Executive comprises senior leaders in Academic Divisions and Chancellery.
Vice-Chancellor
Professor Duncan Maskell
MA Cantab PhD Cantab FMedSci HonAssocRCVS
Provost
Professor Mark Considine
BA (Hons) PhD Melb FASSA FIPAA
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Undergraduate) and Deputy Provost
Professor Richard James
BSc MEd DEd Melb DipEd Melb.StateColl.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Life) and Deputy Provost
Professor Kerri-Lee Krause
MA PhD Macquarie FSRHE MAICD
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
Professor James McCluskey AO
BMedSci MBBS MD UWA FRACP FRCPA FAA
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International)
Professor Michael Wesley
BA (Hons) UQ PhD St And
Vice-President (Administration and Finance) and Chief Operating Officer
Mr Allan Tait
BSocSci (Hons) Birm ACA ACE&W
Vice-President (Strategy and Culture)
Dr Julie Wells
BA DipEd UWA BA (Hons) Murdoch PhD Monash
Vice-President (Advancement)
Mr Nick Blinco
BA Hull MSt Oxon
President of Academic Board
Professor Nilss Olekalns
BEc Adelaide MA UWO MEc ANU PhD La Trobe
Deans
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
Professor Julie Willis
BArch BPD PhD Melb
Faculty of Arts
Professor Russell Goulbourne
BA MA DPhil Oxon
Faculty of Business and Economics
Professor Ian Harper
BEc (Hons) UQ MEc PhD ANU FASSA FAICD
(Co-Dean and Dean, Melbourne Business School)
Professor Paul Kofman
MEc PhD Erasmus
(Co-Dean)
Faculty of Fine Arts and Music
Professor Barry Conyngham AM
BA MA (Hons) Syd DMus Melb CertPostdocStud USCD
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences
Professor Shitij Kapur
MBBS AIIMS PhD Toronto
Faculty of Science
Professor Aleks Owczarek (until 6 December 2020)
BSc (Hons) UQ PhD ANU
Professor Moira O’Bryan (from 7 December 2020)
BSc (Hons) Melb PhD Melb
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences
Professor John Fazakerley
BSc (Hons) Durh PhD Lond MBA Edin
Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Dr Jim Watterston
DipEd Edith Cowan BEd Edith Cowan MEd Curtin DEd UWA
Melbourne Law School
Professor Pip Nicholson
BA LLB Melb MPP ANU PhD Melb
Faculty of Engineering and IT
Professor Mark Cassidy
BEng (Hons) UQ PhD Oxon FTSE FIEAust GAICD
