Our People

Diane is the Board Chair of CEDA.

Diane is a professional non-executive director maintaining a diverse portfolio over varying types of entities, industries and geographies. She is an advocate for gender equity and a past president of Chief Executive Women. Diane is Chair of Zip Co Limited, HBF Health Limited and Perenti.  She also serves pro bono as Chair of the Business School Advisory Board for the University of Western Australia.

Melinda Cilento is Chief Executive of CEDA, a company director, economist and experienced senior executive.

She is the Deputy Chair of Australian Unity and Co-Chair of Reconciliation Australia. Melinda is also a member of the Australian Statistics Advisory Council and the Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration. Melinda was previously a Non-Executive Director with Woodside Petroleum, Commissioner with the Productivity Commission and Deputy CEO and Chief Economist with the Business Council of Australia. Melinda has also previously held senior roles with the Federal Department of Treasury, Invesco and the International Monetary Fund.

Paddy has over 30 years professional services experience in the UK and Australia and is a senior assurance partner at PwC Australia. 

She is currently a member of the Global Board of the PwC international network, a Director and Chair of the Risk Oversight Committee of Redlands school and a member of Chief Executive Women. Paddy previously spent 10 years as a member of the Board of Partners at PwC Australia (Deputy Chair and Chair of various Board Committees) and was also a Director of PwC's Indigenous Consulting and the PwC Foundation. She has previously been a Director and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committees of the Sydney Festival, the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and Museums of History.  

Robert Breunig is the director of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute at the Crawford School of Public Policy. From 2015 to 2016 he was the Director of the Crawford School of Public Policy.

He is one of Australia’s leading Public Policy Economists, influencing significant policy impact through a number of his research projects. Professor Breunig’s research is motivated by important social policy issues and debates, including healthcare, immigration, and generational disadvantage.
 

Dharma is the Chief People Officer for Toll Group and a Non-Executive Director of Macmahon
Dharma has a broad range of experience in senior human resources, strategy, legal and corporate communication roles as a consultant, corporate executive and non-executive director, across Australia, Asia and the Middle East.

Dharma’s previous roles include Partner with Boyden Australia’s Leadership Consulting Practice, Partner in Charge of KPMG Australia’s People Advisory Practice, Managing Partner of Ernst & Young’s Far East Area Performance & Reward Practice (based in Hong Kong), Leader of Towers Perrin’s Asia-Pacific Financial Service Practice (based in Singapore) and Leader of Hewitt Associates’ Asia-Pacific M&A Practice (based in Kuala Lumpur).

He has also held permanent and interim senior executive roles at McKinsey & Co, Westpac, Suncorp Leighton Holdings, GFG Alliance, A2B, Emaar (based in Dubai) and the ABC.

Dharma has been a member of the Advisory Board or Panel for several NSW Government institutions, including iCare NSW and Service NSW. He has served on the Board of Mortgage Choice as a Non- Executive Director, Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and member of the Audit and Risk Committee and a Non- Executive Director of 7-Eleven Australia, where he Chaired the Strategy Committee and was a member of the People Committee. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Macmahon and Chairs their Remuneration Committee.

Professor Carolyn Evans is Vice Chancellor and President of Griffith University.
Carolyn graduated with degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Melbourne and a doctorate from Oxford where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar.  Prior to commencing at Griffith, Carolyn held the positions of Dean of Law, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Graduate and International) at the University of Melbourne.  In 2019, Carolyn was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and became a member of the organisation, Chief Executive Women.  She is President of the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association, was Chair of the Innovative Research Universities from 2021-2022, former board member of Open Universities Australia from 2019-2023, and current Board member of Universities Australia and the Australian-American Fulbright Commission and Chair of the State Advisory Board for the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.

Justin is the Chairman of Partners for KPMG's South Australia practice and Chairman of KPMG's Partner and Remuneration and Nomination Committee.

Prior to his appointment as chairman in 2018 he was the Partner in Charge of the South Australian Advisory practice. He has been a Partner since 2008 and specialises in Corporate Governance and Risk Management and Internal Audit. 

Justin has advised many of South Australia's largest organisations including AdBri Limited, Adelaide Airport, Australian Rail Track Corporation, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Santos and SA Power Networks. 

Ming Long is an influential leader with non-executive director experience in a broad range of industries including financial services, funds and investment management.

She has held leadership positions including CEO and CFO roles with a track record of taking on challenging roles, including successfully navigating the global financial crisis working in real estate. She is the first Asian woman to lead an ASX-100 listed entity in Australia. Ming is Deputy Chair of CSIRO, a director of IFM Investors, QBE Insurance (Australia and Pacific), and CEDA, and director at Telstra.

Sam is a partner and the Chief Executive Officer of Gilbert + Tobin.

Sam has been with Gilbert + Tobin since 2015, when he joined as Chief Operating Officer. Sam was previously a partner at McKinsey & Company, before holding executive positions at National Australia Bank, Aristocrat Leisure and GPT Group.

Dr Pradeep Philip is Head of Deloitte Access Economics Australia.
 

After a long and successful career in public policy, he has a deep expertise in economics and proven leadership experience. Pradeep has operated as a senior government bureaucrat, working at the highest levels of public policy across three jurisdictions in Australia.   Pradeep is a member of the National Board of CEDA (and President of Victoria), and a member of Advisory Board for the Melbourne School of Government.
 
Pradeep’s experience includes: Director of Policy in the Prime Minister’s office, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria, CEO of LaunchVic – a company established by the Victorian Government to promote start-ups and entrepreneurship – and Associate Director General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet in Queensland.

Vanessa has over 25 years’ experience spanning across three continents in operations, strategy, projects, business development and acquisitions within the resource industry.

Vanessa Torres is a global C-suite business leader with a full breadth of operating and strategic experience across the value chain in the resources industry. She has lived and worked in Australia, Canada and South America. An outstanding people leader, she attracts and inspires people to deliver transformational safety and business performance and has delivered superior results in senior executive roles.

Vanessa is currently Chief Technical Officer at South32, responsible for Major Capital Projects, Technology, Innovation, HSE, Business Optimisation and Infrastructure. Prior to joining South32, Vanessa held senior leadership roles at BHP - including Vice President Production, Logistics and Infrastructure - where she delivered an operational turnaround, and Vale.
 

In addition to her executive role, Vanessa has a passion to make a positive contribution to the community and is a Director of the Commitee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and Foodbank WA. She is also co-founder and main financial supporter of an NGO in Brazil which provides free development activities to children.
 

Vanessa has been recognised globally throughout her career, including being named one of the inaugural “100 Women of Influence” (AFR 2012), inaugural “100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining (2013), and as the 2017 Exceptional Woman in Resources in Australia.

Richard Yetsenga is Group Chief Economist and Head of Research at ANZ, based in Sydney. He leads the Bank's global research team, which focuses on Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Richard joined ANZ in 2011 from HSBC in Hong Kong, where he was Managing Director of Emerging Market Strategy. Prior to his seven years at HSBC, Richard held economics roles with Deutsche Bank and the Australian Government.

Richard is a member of ANZ’s Institutional Leadership Team, the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia’s (CEDA) Board, the Business Council of Australia’s (BCA) Economic Policy Committee, and the Centre for Policy Development’s (CPD) 2035 Climate Initiative Roundtable.

Richard publishes on issues of broad economic relevance and regularly appears on CNBC, Bloomberg TV and other regional media. His work has been published by the Lowy Interpreter, and he is an editorial contributor to The Australian Financial Review, The Australian, The Wall Street Journal, Hong Kong Economic Journal, Singapore’s The Business Times and Japan's Nikkei.

Robert Breunig is the director of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute at the Crawford School of Public Policy. From 2015 to 2016 he was the Director of the Crawford School of Public Policy.

He is one of Australia’s leading Public Policy Economists, influencing significant policy impact through a number of his research projects. Professor Breunig’s research is motivated by important social policy issues and debates, including healthcare, immigration, and generational disadvantage.
 

Janeen Baxter, FASSA is Australian Research Council (ARC) Kathleen Fitzpatrick Laureate Fellow in the Institute for Social Science Research at The University of Queensland and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course.

Janeen has research interests in social disadvantage, gender inequality, family dynamics, life course and longitudinal studies and has published widely in these areas, as well as supervising the research of numerous higher degree students and research fellows. She has held visiting positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Manchester and the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at University College London.
 
Janeen has served on several editorial boards for national and international journals and has been a member and Chair of the College of Experts for the Australian Research Council. She led the Evaluation of the Try, Test and Learn Fund for the Commonwealth Department of Social Services and has undertaken a number of other evaluations of major government programs. Janeen is an elected fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and a former member of its executive committee. She is currently a member of several advisory committees including the Child Support Expert Panel for the Commonwealth Department of Social Services, the Advisory Committee for the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. and the Expert Advisory Board for the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study.

Jeff Borland is Truby Williams Professor of Economics at the University of Melbourne. 

His main research interests are analysis of labour markets in Australia and program, policy evaluation and design and Australian economic history. Jeff is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, and in 2020 he received the annual Distinguished Fellow award from the Economic Society of Australia. 

Melinda is a company director, economist and experienced senior executive.

She is a Non-Executive Director of Australian Unity and Co-Chair of Reconciliation Australia. Melinda is also a member of the Parliamentary Budget Office panel of expert advisors. Melinda was previously a Non-Executive Director with Woodside Petroleum, Commissioner with the Productivity Commission and Deputy CEO and Chief Economist with the Business Council of Australia. Melinda has also previously held senior roles with the Federal Department of Treasury, Invesco and the International Monetary Fund.

Lynne Cockerell is a Deputy Head of Economic Analysis at the Reserve Bank of Australia.

She has also held senior management positions in the Domestic Markets, International and Economic Research Departments. She worked for two years as a Policy Advisor in the Markets Group of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In these roles, she worked on a broad range of issues, including inflation and exchange rate modelling and macroeconomic forecasting, and the Bank’s international relations with the IMF, G-20 and others. Lynne holds a MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and BEc (Economics and Econometrics, Hons) from University of New South Wales.

Catherine de Fontenay is a Commissioner of the Productivity Commission.

Prior to joining the Commission, Catherine held academic positions at the University of Melbourne and UNSW, and visiting positions at NYU-Stern, Stanford University, Tel Aviv University and ANU. Her research focused on competition economics (especially negotiations in supply chains), organisational economics and development economics. 

Since joining the Commission, Catherine has led research into the vulnerability of Australia's supply chains, SME access to finance, firms' adoption of overseas innovations, the productivity of service sector industries, formal and informal labour in the care economy and the productivity of the health industry. She has led studies and research into the vulnerability of Australia’s supply chains, small and medium business access to finance, firms’ adoption of overseas innovations, the productivity of service sector industries, and the productivity of the health sector.
 

Dr Jenny Gordon is a Honorary Professor at the Centre for Social Research and Methods, at the Australian National University. She is also a non-resident fellow at the Lowy Institute, one of Australia’s leading think tanks on foreign policy. 

Jenny is a member of the Australian International Agricultural Research Centre’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisory Panel, and on the Asian Development Bank Institute’s Advisory Committee.

Jenny was the Chief Economist at DFAT from 2019 to 2021, joining DFAT from Nous Group, where she was the Chief Economist. Jenny spent 10 years with the Australian Productivity Commission as Principal Adviser (Research). Prior to this she was a partner at the Centre for International Economics (TheCIE). She has a PhD in Economics from Harvard University and started her professional career at the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Karen joined Queensland Treasury as Productivity Commissioner in June 2021 following the transition of the Queensland Productivity Commission (QPC) into the Queensland Government.  

In her former role, Karen was the Chair and Principal Commissioner of the QPC. She has extensive policy and leadership experience gained from senior management roles at the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and The University of Queensland. Karen is an economist with a Ph.D in economics from The University of Queensland and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has been heavily involved in industry and community engagement and has considerable experience in applying insights and intelligence to support economic analysis and policy development. 

Karen has extensive networks in Queensland developed through a variety of roles. For 10 years, Karen was the RBA’s Senior Representative in Queensland and led the Bank's team of professional staff based in Brisbane. Karen was responsible for the Bank’s business liaison program in Queensland and specialised in industry and regional analysis with a particular interest in the tourism, education and resource sectors. At the RBA, she gained considerable experience in advising on the economic impact of external shocks through her responsibility for monitoring natural disasters in Queensland and supply-side disruptions and regulatory changes affecting Australia's key export sectors. Early in her career, Karen was Principal Economist at Queensland Treasury, where she worked on a diverse range of economic policy issues. 

Karen is a strong advocate for the role economists can play in helping to deliver improved community outcomes through evidence-based policy advice and community engagement. Karen worked for 10 years with the Queensland Economics Teachers’ Association to deliver seminars to high school economics students to promote an understanding of monetary policy and economic literacy. Karen was also a member of the Queensland University of Technology School of Economics and Finance External Advisory Committee, past President of The University of Queensland School of Economics Alumni and formerly an Executive Director of the Economic Society of Australia (Qld Branch). Karen is currently a CEDA Trustee and member of CEDA’s national council on economic policy, a member of Women on Boards, Secretary of the Queensland Branch of the Women in Economics Network (WEN) and a mentor in the WEN mentoring program.

Rachel Ong ViforJ is currently John Curtin Distinguished Professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Curtin University.

Her key research interests revolve around housing and ageing issues in Australia. She is particularly interested in analysis of housing markets, housing affordability and intergenerational housing concerns.

Rachel is Managing Editor of Australian Economic Papers. She is also Vice-Chair of the Asia-Pacific Network for Housing Research and a Member of the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council.

Julie Ratcliffe is the Mathew Flinders Professor of Health Economics in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University.

Julie Ratcliffe is Matthew Flinders Professor of Health Economics in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University. Professor Ratcliffe is also the inaugural health and social care economics theme lead for the Caring Futures Institute. This institute is committed to influencing and informing high-quality, safe, and reliable care to individuals and communities across the lifespan. 

Professor Ratcliffe has co-authored over 300 articles related to the economics of health and social care policy appearing in leading medical and discipline specific journals including Journal of the American Medical Association, British Medical Journal, Health Economics and Pharmacoeconomics. 

Professor Ratcliffe holds an Honorary Professorial appointment at the School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield. Professor Ratcliffe has recently been appointed to the Aged Care Advisory Committee and the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program - Technical Advisory Group for the Department of Health and Aged Care. She has also served  as an expert health economist member of the South Australian Health Department’s Policy Advisory Committee on Health Technologies (SAPACT), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Expert Advisory Group for the Development of Social Care Economic Evaluation Methods and is the immediate past president of the Australian Health Economics Society (AHES).

David is the Chief Executive of the Department for Trade and Investment (DTI).

He drives business investment in the state and facilitates trade in goods and services interstate and internationally. David also develops strategy to ensure the management of the State’s Planning System to support our growing population to maintain our lifestyle.
 
David has a demonstrated record of success in policy advice, financial management, and developing strong relationships across government, industry and community sector organisations.
 
David was previously the Chief Executive of the Department of Treasury and Finance which included managing the state economy and budget through the global pandemic while continuing to invest in infrastructure and managing the state’s credit rating.
 
David completed a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from the University of Adelaide and in 2022 was awarded a Public Sector Medal for his outstanding contributions to economic and financial policy in South Australia. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia.
 
 
David is a passionate South Australian driven by helping to grow the South Australian economy through leading and collaborating both within government and with the private sector.

Cassandra Winzar was appointed CEDA’s Chief Economist in May 2023, after joining CEDA as a Senior Economist in 2020.

As Senior Economist Cassandra led CEDA’s portfolio of research identifying practical solutions to deliver better human services for Australians. She has authored reports in Aged Care, Disadvantage and Mental Health. Prior to joining CEDA, Cassandra was Principal Economist at the WA Department of Communities (Housing Authority). Cassandra has also held roles as the WA based Economist for the Reserve Bank of Australia, and in Transfer Pricing at EY. Cassandra is Chair of the WA Women in Economics Network. She has a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) and Bachelor of Asian Studies from the University of Western Australia.

Diane is the Board Chair of CEDA.

Diane is a professional non-executive director maintaining a diverse portfolio over varying types of entities, industries and geographies. She is an advocate for gender equity and a past president of Chief Executive Women. Diane is Chair of Zip Co Limited, HBF Health Limited and Perenti.  She also serves pro bono as Chair of the Business School Advisory Board for the University of Western Australia.

Elizabeth is Chairman of Virgin Australia Limited, Chairman of IAG, Chairman of Insurance Manufacturers of Australia, a Director of Westpac Banking Corporation, a member of the Takeovers Panel and President of YWCA NSW. 
 
Prior to becoming a professional director, Elizabeth served for six years as Managing Director of Deutsche Asset Management and its predecessor organisation, NSW State Superannuation Investment and Management Corporation. Elizabeth also served as Chairman of Caltex Australia Limited.

Professor Adrienne Clarke AC is Chancellor of La Trobe University and Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne.

She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and is a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Professor Clarke has served as a director for many public companies including Alcoa of Australia, Woolworths, WMC and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. She recently retired as a Director of Hexima.

Professor Clarke also serves on advisory boards including the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology and the Australian Advisory Board of The Nature Conservancy. Professor Clarke has served as President of the International Society for Plant Molecular Biology and was Chairman of the CSIRO from 1991 to 1996. She was Lieutenant Governor of Victoria from 1997 to 2000. Her work as a scientist is in the field of genetic engineering of plants, particularly creating plants resistant to insect attack and fungal diseases.

Professor Julian Disney AO is Director of the Social Justice Project at the University of NSW.

He is also the Chair of Australian Press Council, Anti-Poverty Week, the National Affordable Housing Summit and the National Community Tax Forum. Professor Disney has previously been a Law Reform Commissioner, Coordinator of the Sydney Welfare Rights Centre, Professor of Public Law at ANU, President of the Australian Council of Social Service, and World President of the International Council on Social Welfare, which represents national social welfare organisations from more than 80 countries.

He has chaired three independent inquiries, and been a member of many advisory committees for governments at national and state level. In 1995, Professor Disney was appointed an officer in the Order of Australia for service to the development of economic and social policy and to the law, and he has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of NSW.

Laureate Professor Peter Doherty AC shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 with Swiss colleague Rolf Zinkernagel for their discovery of how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells.

He was Australian of the Year in 1997, and has since been commuting between St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. His research is mainly in the area of defence against viruses. He regularly devotes time to delivering public lectures, writing articles for newspapers and magazines, and participating in radio discussions.

Professor Doherty graduated from the University of Queensland in Veterinary Science and became a veterinary officer. Moving to Scotland, he received his PhD from the University of Edinburgh Medical School. He is the first person with a veterinary qualification to win a Nobel Prize. Professor Doherty is also the author of several books, including A Light History of Hot Air and The Beginners Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize.

Peter Duncan AO was born in Buckinghamshire, England in 1941. The family moved to New Zealand in 1949. 

He graduated with First Class Honours in Chemical Engineering from Canterbury University, NZ in 1962 and with a post-graduate Diploma in Business Studies (with Distinction) from the London School of Economics in 1965. He spent most of 1964 in France on a bursary from the French government to work in the French chemical industry. 

Peter joined the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of companies in London in 1965 and worked in a diverse range of finance and general management positions throughout the group. Between 1965 and 1982, he worked in Venezuela, Curacao, London and Singapore, following which he was Managing Director of Shell Switzerland and then Vice President Marketing for Europe in The Hague. From 1989 to 1992, he was Executive Director Finance and Information of Shell Australia, and a board member of Woodside Petroleum. 

From 1992 to 1997 he was Chief Executive of Deutsche Shell, a member of the board of the Oil Industry Association in Germany and a member of the advisory board of Commerzbank. In August 1997, Peter assumed the position of non-executive Chairman of Shell New Zealand and Shell New Zealand Holding Company. In September 1997, he was appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer, Shell Oceania; Executive Director Oil Products, Shell Australia; and a director of various Shell Pacific Island companies. From 1999 to 2001, he was Chairman of the Australian Institute of Petroleum.

Peter was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Shell Group of Companies in Australia on 1 July 1999, and retired from this position at the end of September 2001. He is Chairman of Scania Australia and of the Cranlana Programme Foundation. He has been the Chairman of Orica (2009-2014), a director of the CSIRO (2002-2005), NAB (2001-2008) and GasNet (2001-2005), and a member of the advisory board of Siemens (2001-2004). 

Peter is a member of the Global Foundation, the Melbourne Club, the Wellington Club in New Zealand, the Kew Golf Club and the Rotary Club of Melbourne. He is a member of the foundation board of the Very Special Kids Foundation. In September 2001 until December 2005, Peter was President of the Australian German Association. He continues to be a member. Peter speaks German, Danish, French and Spanish. On Australia Day 2000, Peter became an Australian citizen.

Martin Ferguson has a long history of public service and work in economic and social policy.

From 1984 until 1990, Martin served as the General Secretary of the Miscellaneous Workers Union, and from 1990 until 1996, as President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). As a senior trade union official, from 1984 until 1996, he sat on the ACTU National Executive, participating directly in shaping and implementing many of the economic reforms of the Hawke and Keating governments. In March 1996, Martin was elected as a Member of the Federal Parliament in the seat of Batman, in Melbourne, which he held until retiring at the 2014 election.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in June 1996. During the Howard Government, Martin served in a range of economic shadow portfolios, including Employment and Training; Immigration and Multicultural Affairs; Regional Development, Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Services and Population; Urban and Regional Development, Transport and Infrastructure; Primary Industries, Resources, Forestry and Tourism; and Transport, Roads and Tourism. Upon the Rudd Government assuming office in December 2007, Martin was appointed the Minister for Resources and Energy and the Minister for Tourism, and acted as the Chair of the Standing Council on Resources and Energy and the Ministerial Council for Tourism.

He held the Resources, Energy and Tourism portfolios until March 2013, when he resigned from the Ministry. Martin is Chairman of the advisory board to the Australian oil and gas industry association, APPEA; is an executive with the Seven Group Holdings with responsibility for natural resources and is a Non-Executive Director of British Gas. In March 2014, Martin was appointed to Chair of the University College of London's Adelaide Advisory Board. Martin is also a pro bono member of the University of Western Australia's advisory board on resources and energy. Martin has an honours degree in economics from Sydney University.

Professor Margaret Gardner AC is President and Vice-Chancellor of Monash University.

She has previously held leadership positions at RMIT, the University of Queensland and Griffith University. Professor Gardner is the Interim Chair of the Group of Eight Universities and was Chair of Universities Australia from 2017-2019. She is a Director of Infrastructure Victoria, the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) and a member of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Inclusion and Diversity Committee. 

Professor Gardner’s previous roles include Chair of the Expert Panel of the Office of Learning and Teaching, Chair of Museum Victoria, Board member of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission and ANZAC Centenary Advisory Board.

Professor Sandra Harding took up her appointment as Vice-Chancellor and President of James Cook University Australia in January 2007.

In this role, she is responsible for ensuring clear and effective leadership and management of the University across all operating sites, including campuses in Townsville, Cairns and Singapore. Educated at the Australian National University, the University of Queensland and North Carolina State University (USA), Professor Harding is an economic sociologist with a keen scholarly interest in markets and how they work, and organisation survey methodology.

She also has a keen professional interest in education policy and management. Professor Harding has extensive academic and academic leadership experience. In addition, she has undertaken a wide variety of senior university-aligned roles as well as memberships/directorships of a variety of local, national and international boards and councils.

Current roles include: Member, the Australia-China Council Board; Co-Chair, the New Colombo Plan; Member, International Education and Training Advisory Council Queensland; Director, Regional Australia Institute; Council Member, the Australian Institute for Marine Science; Director, North Queensland Cowboys NRL club; Member, Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) Advisory Board; Member, Australian Research Council (ARC) Advisory Board; Director of Townsville Enterprises and of Advance Cairns (regional economic development bodies).

Previous external roles include: Commissioner, Queensland Independent Commission of Audit (March 2012 to February 2013); Australia's representative, University Grants Commission for the University of the South Pacific; Chair, Australian Statistics Advisory Council; Member, HIH Assessment Review Panel; Board member, Skills Queensland; Board member, Australian Learning and Teaching Council; Chairman, Brisbane Marketing; Director, Australian Institute for Commercialisation; Director, Global Foundation for Management Education (Montreal); Chair, Innovative Research Universities (an alliance of seven Australian universities: Charles Darwin, Griffith, La Trobe, Flinders, Murdoch, Newcastle and James Cook universities); Inaugural President, Australian Business Deans Council; Vice-President, Australian Universities Community Engagement Alliance.

In 2003, Professor Harding was recognised as North Carolina State University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences Distinguished Alumna for that year. In 2010, she received an Honorary Doctorate for services to education from Japan's Josai International University, and in 2012, she was recognised as an Honorary Fellow of the Australian College of Educators (ACE) and was named the ACE 2012 Queensland Medallist "…in recognition of her leadership of education in the tropics that has seen a new academic emphasis on life and the people of the tropics".

Professor Harding is an Honorary Fellow of the Australian College of Educators, Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.

Dr Ken Henry AC is a Director of National Australia Bank and Chair of the Advisory Council of the SMART Infrastructure Facility at the University of Wollongong.

For a decade commencing in April 2001, he was Secretary to the Treasury, a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and a member of the Board of Taxation. Dr Henry chaired the panel that produced the most comprehensive review of Australia's tax and transfer policies, Australia's Future Tax System, published in 2010. More than a decade earlier he chaired the Howard Government's Task Force that produced A New Tax System. In 2007, Dr Henry was made a Companion in the Order of Australia.

John Winston Howard served as Australia’s Prime Minister between March 1996 and November 2007. 

He is the nation’s second longest serving Prime Minister, was a Member of Parliament for 33 years, and was Treasurer in an earlier government. Under his leadership Australia enjoyed continued economic growth averaging 3.6 per cent per annum. His government delivered major economic reform in the areas of taxation, workplace relations, privatisation and welfare. $96 billion of government debt was repaid during the time in office of the Howard Government.

When it left office in November 2007 the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia had no net debt, and its budget was in surplus. This strong fiscal position was a major reason why Australia suffered relatively few consequences from the global financial crisis. Under John Howard’s leadership Australia strongly supported the United States and other nations in the fight against terrorism. Australia contributed military forces to operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Australia also led the United Nations sanctioned Interfet force following East Timor’s vote for independence.  The Howard Government strengthened bilateral ties between Australia and many nations in Asia. During Mr Howard’s time as Prime Minister, China became Australia’s largest export destination. Mr Howard is a Companion of the Order of Australia and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States by President George W Bush. In January 2012, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Mr Howard to the Order of Merit. In 2013, on the recommendation of the Japanese Government, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. 

Mr Graham Kraehe is Chairman of BlueScope Steel, Chairman of Brambles and a Director of Djerriwarrh Investments and the Reserve Bank of Australia.

He was previously Chairman of National Australia Bank and a Director of News Corporation. Mr Kraehe's executive career spanned 30 years as CEO of a number of businesses in the diversified industrial and wine sectors including Pacific BBA and Southcorp. Both businesses had a number of operations in Asia and North America.  He is a Director of European Australian Business Council. 

Mr Kraehe has had many business and community roles including national President of the Australian Industry Group and Chairman of the Future Directions Forum. In 2003, he was made a member of the Order of Australia for services to industry and the environment.

John Langoulant AO has held CEO positions in government and the business community for almost 20 years, currently chairing government, corporate, and not-for-profit entities and consult to the education, banking and resources sector.

John is the Chairman of Westpac WA and Chairman of the Government Employee Superannuation Board. John has been recognised for his activities in the community sector by being made an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia in 2010 and Western Australian Citizen of the Year (in the Industry and Commerce Division) in 2011. John former President of  the State Advisory Council of CEDA in Western Australia.

Dr McGill joined Esso Australia in 1969.

His 38-year career in the energy business took him to all significant oil and gas production and processing areas of the world. At retirement, he was a member of Exxon Mobil Corporation's Management Committee with functional responsibility for the global upstream businesses (Exploration, Development, Production, Gas and Power Marketing, Research). During his career, Dr McGill lived and worked in Australia, Europe, South-East Asia and America.

He was Managing Director, Esso Production Malaysia; Chairman and Managing Director, Esso Australia; President, Esso Benelux; President, Exxon Company International; President, ExxonMobil Gas and Power Marketing Company; and President, ExxonMobil Production Company. Dr McGill completed his undergraduate (1964) and doctorate (1969) degrees in Chemical Engineering at the University of Sydney. He was awarded a Sydney University Sports Blue in Boat in 1961.

He is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, a Fellow of Engineers Australia and a Life Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He is a board member of The Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering at Sydney University and a board member of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Foundation at Sydney University.

Andrew Mohl is a Director of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, former Chairman of the Federal Government's Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, and an executive coach to chief executive officers. 

He is also a member of the Board of Governors for CEDA, the Corporate Council of the European Australian Business Council and ASIC's External Advisory Panel. Andrew was Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of AMP from 2002 to 2007. He has over 35 years of financial services experience.

Terry Moran AC was, as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australia's most senior public servant, from 2008 to 2011. 

His current roles include: Chancellor, Federation University; Chair, Melbourne Theatre Company; Chair, Centre for Policy Development; Vice President, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research; Director, Menzies Foundation; and Ambassador, Teach for Australia. He spent his early career as a public servant in the Australian (Commonwealth) and Victorian Public Services.  Moran's first position as a public sector CEO was as Chief Executive of the Office of the State Training Board in Victoria from late 1987 until May 1993. 

In May 1993, he was appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer of the Australian National Training Authority in Brisbane. In August 1998, he became Queensland's Director-General of Education. Moran was appointed Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet for the State of Victoria in July 2000 and held this position until his appointment as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in early 2008.
 
Honours
 
On 12 June 2006, Moran was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "service to public sector leadership in key policy areas and program implementation, including technical and further education at state and national levels". On 26 January 2012, the Governor General named Moran as a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for "eminent service to the community through public sector leadership, as a significant contributor to policy development, program delivery and effective governance, and to the implementation of contemporary government administration.” This is the highest honour bestowed on an Australian.
 
On 19 December 2017, Moran was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) at La Trobe University, Melbourne in recognition of “significant contributions to policy development, program delivery and effective governance, and to contemporary government administration”.

David Mortimer has over 40 years of corporate finance and commercial experience.

He was a senior executive of TNT Limited Group from 1973, serving as Finance Director and then as Chief Executive Officer until his resignation in October 1997. He is currently Chairman of Australia Post, Crescent Capital Partners and Leighton Holdings. Mr Mortimer is a member of the Defence Strategic Reform Advisory Board and was Chairman of Defence Procurement Advisory Board from 2004 to 2008. Mr Mortimer has been a professional director and investor. He has chaired several publicly listed companies in addition to his current directorships.

He has also served on boards and not-for-profit organisations. In 2008, Mr Mortimer was appointed by the Federal Government to conduct two reviews: the review of Export Policies and Programs, Winning in World Markets, and the Defence Procurement and Sustainment Review,Going to the Next level. Both reviews were released at the end of September 2008. Mr Mortimer also completed a review into Business Programmes for the Federal Government in 1998,Going for Growth. Mr Mortimer was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2005.

Warren Mundine AO is from the First Australian Nations of Bundjalung and the Gumbaynggirr people on the North Coast of New South Wales. 

His life and career have been shaped by a deep-seated personal commitment to community, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and he has more than 26 years' experience working in the public, private and community sectors. Mr Mundine is currently Chief Executive Officer of NTSCORP, a company in New South Wales that assists Traditional Owners to achieve social justice and promote economic, environmental and cultural development through Native Title and other avenues. 

As Chair of the Australian Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, Mr Mundine provides national leadership for initiatives to promote economic development and help Indigenous people break the welfare cycle, such as the Australian Employment Covenant and the First Australians Business Awards. Mr Mundine has been recognised for his community, government and business achievements by being awarded Doctor of the University (honoris causa) Southern Cross University. He has also been awarded the Centenary Medal for services to the community and local government, and the Bennelong Medal for Leadership in Indigenous Affairs.

Kerry Schott is Chair of the Energy Security Board, Chair of Moorebank Intermodal Company, a Director of NBN, and a Director of TCorp NSW.

She also chairs the Assurance Board for Sydney Metro, and is a member of the Advisory Board for City and SouthEast Light Rail. Kerry was Managing Director and CEO of Sydney Water from 2006 to 2011. Before that, Kerry spent 15 years as an investment banker, including as Managing Director of Deutsche Bank and Executive Vice President of Bankers Trust Australia. During this time she specialised in privatisation, restructuring, and infrastructure provision. Prior to becoming an investment banker Kerry was a public servant and an academic. 

Dr John Schubert AO is the Chairman of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and a Director of BHP Billiton Limited and BHP Billiton Plc. 

He is the former Chairman of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, a position he held from 2004 until his retirement in 2010. Dr John Schubert was appointed to the Board of the Commonwealth Bank in 1991 and was Deputy Chairman from 2000 to 2004. He is Chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and is a past President of the Business Council of Australia and previous Chairman of G2 Therapies. From 2000 to 2003, Dr John Schubert was a Director of Hanson, and from 2002 to 2004 he was Chairman of Worley Group.

From 1993 to 2000, he was Managing Director and CEO of Pioneer International. In 1969, Dr John Schubert commenced his career with Esso Australia as a professional engineer on the various oil and gas production facilities for the Bass Strait Field. He held various supervising and management positions with Esso in Australia and overseas before he was appointed Chairman and Managing Director in 1988. He held this position until 1993.

Dr Switkowski is Chancellor of RMIT University and Chairman of NBN Co.

Dr Switkowski is a former Chairman of Suncorp Group, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and of Opera Australia. He has also served as a non-executive director on the boards of Tabcorp Holdings, Healthscope, Oil Search, Lynas and Amcor.

He has previously held positions as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Telstra Corporation Limited and Optus Communications Ltd.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

In 2014, Dr Switkowski was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of service to tertiary education administration, scientific organisations and the telecommunications sector, to business, and to the arts.

Richard Warburton is currently Chairman of Westfield Retail Trust, Magellan Flagship Fund and Citigroup. 

He also serves as Chairman of the Commonwealth Studies Conference, Vice Chair of the Council on Australian Latin American Relations and a Member of the Advisory Council of the Centre for Social Impact. Richard Warburton is a former Chairman and CEO of Dupont Australia and New Zealand, and he worked with Dupont for 30 years in marketing, manufacturing, technical and management roles in Australia, USA and Thailand. 

He was a Board Member of the Reserve Bank of Australia; Chairman of the Australian Board of Taxation, Caltex Australia, David Jones, Goldfields, Tandou and Wool International; and a Director of Southcorp, Tabcorp Holdings, Nufarm and other companies.

Peter Wills has been involved in property development and business management for over 40 years and is widely acknowledged as a prominent leader in the Australian property industry.

In addition to his property experience, he has had an influential role in furthering Australia's health and medical research sector. Having become Chairman of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in the early 1990s, he was appointed by the Federal Government as Chairman of the Health and Medical Research Strategic Review (Wills Review) in 1998, which contributed significantly to major funding increases and restructuring of the sector generally.

Following this review, he was appointed Chairman of the Australian Research Council and was a Member of the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovations Council (PMSEIC). In 2001, he was awarded as a Companion of the General Division of the Order of Australia.