25 University People Leaders in Australia and NZ

As of 11 August 2026, this directory brings together 25 people leading People, Culture, Human Resources or closely related workforce work at universities across Australia and New Zealand.

Universities are balancing changing student needs, research priorities, workforce capability and the everyday conditions that help staff do good work. People leaders sit close to those choices, even when their titles differ from one institution to the next.

The roles below include chief people officers, human resources directors, people and culture executives and senior operational leaders whose portfolios include the university workforce. Taken together, they offer a practical map of how higher education institutions organise this work across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Why these roles matter

Higher education people leaders sit close to a difficult leadership brief. They need to help an institution attract and keep good people, build capability, respond to changing work and protect the conditions that let teaching, research and service happen well.

The roles also show how much the title can vary. One university uses Chief People Officer. Another uses Director of Human Resources, Deputy Vice Chancellor or Vice President, People and Culture. The common thread is responsibility for the people systems and choices that shape the institution, not a single title.

Reading the roles together is useful because it makes the hidden work more visible. These leaders connect strategy with recruitment, development, culture, employee experience, wellbeing, workforce planning and the daily decisions managers make with their teams.

1. Joanne Fox

Deputy Vice Chancellor, People and Culture, Adelaide University

Joanne Fox serves as Deputy Vice Chancellor, People and Culture at Adelaide University, based in Adelaide, Australia. The brief connects the institution’s strategy with the people systems that help staff do their work well.

Adelaide University announced that Fox would join as Deputy Vice Chancellor, People and Culture in August 2026 after senior people and transformation roles. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. Read the university's announcement.

2. Sharon Russell

Chief People Officer, Murdoch University

At Murdoch University, Sharon Russell works as Chief People Officer in Perth, Australia. That places the role close to workforce capability, culture and the practical experience of university staff.

Murdoch describes the CPO brief as aligning workforce strategy with capability, skills, culture, diversity, performance and talent pathways. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

3. Angelle Laurence

Chief People Officer, Australian Catholic University

Angelle Laurence holds the role of Chief People Officer at Australian Catholic University in Australia. It is a people leadership brief with a direct connection to how the university supports its workforce.

ACU says Laurence led the inaugural University of Southern Queensland People Strategy from 2021 to 2025 before joining ACU. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. Read the university's announcement.

4. Kate Witenden

Chief People Officer, Australian National University

The university people brief at Australian National University is held by Kate Witenden, its Chief People Officer, in Canberra, Australia. The role brings workforce questions into the institution’s wider operating picture.

ANU says Witenden commenced as Chief People Officer in October 2022 and has more than 25 years of senior HR experience. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

5. Gemma Martin

Chief People Officer, UNSW Sydney

Gemma Martin is Chief People Officer at UNSW Sydney, where the work is connected to the university’s people, culture and workforce priorities. The role is based in Sydney, Australia.

UNSW says Martin has provided strategic people and culture leadership across the private and public sectors for almost 20 years. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

6. Pip Nicholson

Deputy Vice Chancellor, People and Community, University of Melbourne

In Melbourne, Australia, Pip Nicholson leads as Deputy Vice Chancellor, People and Community at University of Melbourne. The title signals a remit that reaches beyond one HR process into the way the institution works with its people.

The University of Melbourne says Nicholson was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor, People and Community in April 2022 after serving as Dean of Melbourne Law School. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

7. Alexis Beckwith

Chief People Officer, University of Melbourne

Alexis Beckwith is part of the senior leadership picture at University of Melbourne as Chief People Officer. Based in Melbourne, Australia, the role sits where workforce capability and institutional delivery meet.

Before joining the University of Melbourne in November 2023, Beckwith was Head of People, Asia Pacific at Cushman and Wakefield, supporting 11,000 employees. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

8. Anna Phillips

Chief People Officer, Monash University

At Monash University, Anna Phillips carries the Chief People Officer brief from Melbourne, Australia. That makes the role relevant to anyone trying to understand how universities organise people leadership.

Monash says Phillips commenced on 29 January 2024 after serving as CPO at ACU and Chief People and Culture Officer at Austin Health. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. Read the university's announcement.

9. Phillip Vaughan

Chief Human Resources Officer, University of Queensland

Phillip Vaughan leads the people function as Chief Human Resources Officer at University of Queensland, based in Brisbane, Australia. The work is practical: shaping the conditions in which staff can contribute, develop and stay.

UQ announced Vaughan as CHRO in 2023 after earlier HR work at UQ and seven years at Monash, including as CHRO. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. Read the university's announcement.

10. Jacqueline Bate

Chief People Officer, University of Notre Dame Australia

Jacqueline Bate serves University of Notre Dame Australia as Chief People Officer in Australia. The role belongs in this directory because its remit includes the university workforce and the systems around it.

Notre Dame lists Bate as Chief People Officer and a University appointed representative on its Joint Consultative Committee. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

11. Regan Sterry

Chief People Officer, La Trobe University

The Chief People Officer role at La Trobe University is held by Regan Sterry, based in Melbourne, Australia. It gives the institution a senior point of focus for people, culture and workforce decisions.

La Trobe’s 2025 People and Culture Committee terms record the current CPO title after the role changed from Executive Director Human Resources. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

12. Gaynor Witts

Vice President, People and Culture, RMIT University

Gaynor Witts is the Vice President, People and Culture at RMIT University, working from Melbourne, Australia. The remit links the daily employee experience with the broader work of running a university.

RMIT’s current policy register identifies Witts as Vice President, People and Culture and records the 2025 change from Chief People Officer. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

13. Troy Cardoso-Vigors

Chief People Officer, Western Sydney University

At Western Sydney University, Troy Cardoso-Vigors serves as Chief People Officer in Sydney, Australia. That position helps connect the university’s workforce choices with its wider organisational priorities.

Western Sydney University’s current delegations policy names Cardoso-Vigors as Chief People Officer and identifies the Office for People. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

14. Gillian Bromley

Vice President, People and Culture and Chief People Officer, Queensland University of Technology

Gillian Bromley holds a senior people and workforce brief as Vice President, People and Culture and Chief People Officer at Queensland University of Technology. The role is based in Brisbane, Australia and reflects how varied university people titles can be.

QUT’s People and Culture Strategy names Bromley as Vice President, People and Culture and Chief People Officer. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

15. Mark Schultz

Chief People Officer, Flinders University

Mark Schultz works across the people side of Flinders University as Chief People Officer, based in Adelaide, Australia. For readers, the role offers a clear example of how a university gives workforce work a place in senior leadership.

Flinders lists Schultz as Chief People Officer in its People and Culture function. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

16. Mark Cox

Chief People Officer, Bond University

The university workforce brief at Bond University sits with Mark Cox, its Chief People Officer, in Gold Coast, Australia. That makes the role relevant to leaders thinking about capability, culture and institutional change.

Bond University’s official profile lists Cox as Chief People Officer. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

17. Andrew Phipps

Director, Human Resources, University of Auckland

Andrew Phipps is University of Auckland’s Director, Human Resources, based in Auckland, New Zealand. The work brings attention to the people choices that support teaching, research and the wider university community.

The University of Auckland says Phipps has been Director of Human Resources since 2013, after previously serving as Deputy Director HR. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

18. Katie McEwan

Chief People Officer, University of Otago

Based in Dunedin, New Zealand, Katie McEwan serves as Chief People Officer at University of Otago. The role shows how workforce leadership can be carried through a people title, a human resources title or a wider executive portfolio.

The University of Otago’s current Human Resources staff directory lists McEwan as Chief People Officer. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

19. Shelley Turner

Deputy Vice Chancellor, University Services, Massey University

Shelley Turner carries the Deputy Vice Chancellor, University Services portfolio at Massey University, in New Zealand. It is a senior role concerned with the systems, culture and capability that let the institution function.

Massey says Turner is responsible for corporate services including finance, human resources, information technology and estates. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

20. Paul O’Flaherty

Executive Director, People, Culture and Campus Life, University of Canterbury

At University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, Paul O’Flaherty works as Executive Director, People, Culture and Campus Life. The role brings a useful focus to the organisational choices behind recruitment, development, culture and workforce planning.

Canterbury says O’Flaherty’s portfolio covers employee experience, student wellbeing, health and safety, emergency management and facilities. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

21. Stephen Davies

Assistant Vice Chancellor, People and Culture, Auckland University of Technology

Stephen Davies serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor, People and Culture for Auckland University of Technology, based in Auckland, New Zealand. The role is a reminder that university people leadership is often spread across different titles and operating models.

AUT’s current executive leadership page lists Davies as Assistant Vice Chancellor, People and Culture. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

22. Karen McEwan

Executive Director, People, Culture and Wellbeing, Lincoln University

Karen McEwan holds the Executive Director, People, Culture and Wellbeing role at Lincoln University in Lincoln, New Zealand. The remit connects senior leadership with the practical systems that shape the experience of university staff.

Lincoln says McEwan has more than 15 years of tertiary People, Culture and Wellbeing experience and joined its senior leadership team in 2018. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

23. Rose Macfarlane

Director, People and Capability, University of Waikato

The people leadership role at University of Waikato is Director, People and Capability, held by Rose Macfarlane in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is a useful example of how institutions place workforce capability close to their central decisions.

The University of Waikato’s current Human Resources page lists Macfarlane as Director, People and Capability. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

24. Tobi Wilson

Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer, UNSW Sydney

Tobi Wilson is Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer at UNSW Sydney, working in Sydney, Australia. The role has a clear place in any map of the people leaders who help universities build and support their workforce.

UNSW says Wilson’s operations portfolio includes People and Culture alongside finance, information technology, estates, data and enterprise projects. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. See the university's leadership information.

25. Samantha Liston

Chief Human Resources Officer, University of Sydney

In Sydney, Australia, Samantha Liston holds the Chief Human Resources Officer brief at University of Sydney. The work sits at the intersection of people, culture, capability and the institution’s ability to deliver well.

The University of Sydney announced Liston as CHRO in 2023, with a start date of 22 January 2024. This gives readers a concrete view of the work behind the title. Read the university's announcement.

How to use this list

Use this list as a working directory rather than a ranking. The numbering is only there to make the entries easy to find and discuss.

If you are researching a university, preparing a partnership approach or trying to understand how a higher education institution organises its people work, start with the official source attached to the relevant entry. Roles can change, so check the source again before relying on any detail that matters.

For a broader set of names, read the companion LinkedIn post. Its extra entries are intentionally shorter because they are part of a wider directory, not full profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people are in the article?

The article contains 25 full profiles. The companion post adds 25 more people to the wider directory.

Is the list ranked?

No. The numbering is only a reference system. It is not a judgement about seniority, performance, reputation or institutional importance.

Does this include every university people leader in Australia and New Zealand?

No. It is a practical starting directory, not a complete census. Roles and titles vary widely, so use the linked university information to explore the wider field.

How current is the information?

The entries are current as of 11 August 2026. Senior university roles can change, so check the linked university information before relying on a detail that matters.

Conclusion

People leadership in higher education is a practical discipline. It turns broad institutional hopes into decisions about capability, culture, work, leadership and the experience of the people doing the work.

The 25 leaders in this article show how varied that brief can be across Australia and New Zealand. The companion post adds another 25 people whose university people work makes them relevant to follow.

A note for leaders navigating change

When a university is carrying growth, change or a difficult workforce decision, clarity matters. If your leadership team needs help turning a hard trade-off into a decision people can act on, that is the kind of work I do through keynotes, workshops and facilitated leadership sessions. Get in touch at jonno@consultclarity.org.

Next Read

If you are working on shared direction across a complex leadership group, read 11 Proven Ways to Get Your Leadership Team Aligned. For a practical lens on how people contribute differently to team work, 63 Essential Keys: Understand Discernment is a useful next read.

About the Author

Jonno White is a Brisbane-based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. He works with schools, corporates and nonprofits around the world. To enquire about a keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.