University Council
Bond University Council is the peak governing body of the University, operating as the Board of Bond University Limited.
Comprising 10 Councillors, Council is accountable to University stakeholders and the wider community to ensure the University is managed prudently, efficiently, and in compliance with all relevant regulations. Council leads the University’s community of students, staff and others to meet and advance the University’s goals and objectives.
Apart from the Vice Chancellor, all Councillors are non-executive and are elected based on the skills and experience they bring to the Council.
Bond’s Constitution provides for the rotation of Councillors, whereby no Councillor may serve for more than the maximum term allowed under the Constitution.
Council is responsible for:
- Strategic direction
- Financial supervision
- Risk management
- Key appointments
- Approving financial and other delegations
- Stakeholder relations
- Formally meeting with Company members at least twice a year
- Communicating with University stakeholders: students, staff, alumni, and the community regarding University performance and major activities
Council members
The Chancellor
David Baxby
David Baxby was elected as the ninth Chancellor of the University on 24 May 2024.
The Chancellor is responsible for providing leadership to the Council. This appointment is wide-reaching and includes several responsibilities, from facilitating discussion on Council and University matters, to managing Council’s relationship with the senior management of the University.
He succeeds Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AC who was, to date, the University’s longest serving Chancellor.
He graduated from the University with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws (with honours) degrees in 1994. He is the first Alumnus to be elected as Chancellor.
He has significant experience in business, both in Australia and abroad, particularly as an investment banker. He was, for many years the co-Chief Executive of the Virgin Group with responsibility for expanding the brand into new sectors and further expanding its international reach. He also held a senior executive role with Wesfarmers Limited.
In 2021 he co-founded Coogee Capital a private equity company that invests in businesses looking to secure the next phase of growth.
He was the recipient of the inaugural Robert Stable Alumni Medal in 2013. This prestigious award is awarded annually to recognise exceptional achievement in any field by a Bond University graduate who has brought distinction to themselves, the University and benefit to their communities through their vocation.
The Chancellor contributes his time and resources to a number of philanthropic activities, including being a participant in the Starlight Children’s Foundation “Tour de Kids”. In addition, he was Chairman of Virgin Unite in the Asia Pacific region which principally focussed on youth at risk, in particular homelessness and drug dependency.
He has previously served on the University’s governing body from 2015 until 2023.
The Chancellor and his family have a strong personal connection to the University; he met his wife Selina while they were both students and two of their children are Bond University graduates.
Former Chancellors
Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC
Chancellor from 19 April 2016 to 24 May 2024
Dr Helen Nugent AC
Chancellor from 22 May, 2009 to 19 April, 2016
Dr Trevor Rowe AO
Chancellor from 30 May, 2003 to 22 May, 2009
Dr Imelda Roche AO
Chancellor from 25 November, 1999 to 30 May, 2003
Acting Chancellor from 5 August, 1999 to 25 November, 1999Dr Paul Scully-Power AM DSM NSM
Chancellor from 1 January, 1998 to 5 August, 1999
Emeritus Professor Harry Messel AC CBE
Chancellor from 3 April, 1992 to 31 December, 1997
Executive Chancellor from 7 February, 1993 to 14 July, 1995Ms Elizabeth Nosworthy AO
Chancellor from 10 March, 1991 to 11 February, 1992
Acting Chancellor from 13 March, 1990 to 9 March, 1991Sir Sydney Schubert
Chancellor from 1 July, 1987 to 13 March, 1990
Other members
In addition to the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor, there are eight other members of the Council. Councillors possess a wide range of skills, qualifications and experience in the academic, corporate, political, and cultural spheres.
Antony Ceravolo
Antony Ceravolo was elected to Council on 24 May 2024.
He is a Bond Alumnus, graduating in 1995 with combined Commerce and Law degrees.
Following graduation, he worked as a corporate lawyer with a London-based international law firm. He was also a senior associate at Schroder Salomon Smith Barney in London and New York.
He then founded Retail Media Group and was a co-founder of Video Island Inc, which became LOVEFilm, an online DVD rental business. That business was eventually acquired by Amazon Inc. He then returned home to Adelaide with his family, where he currently resides.
His passion for innovation continued as he was then instrumental in developing the mobile check-in application, Sine, which was taken up by many major corporations, including Rolls Royce, DHL, Coca-Cola and Qantas. The earliest adopters were among Australian independent schools. In December 2020, Sine was acquired by Honeywell Inc.
For many years he has been active in the family viticulture business based in the Adelaide Hills, spending some time as the executive in charge of exporting product and as a Director since 2013. He has a strong interest in innovation and is interested in utilising his exemplary track record in developing and nurturing successful start-ups to assist Bond students in successfully developing entrepreneurial skills.
Marion Charlton
Marion Charlton was elected to Council on 20 April 2022.
She is the Chief Operating Officer of Queensland Airports Ltd, responsible for Gold Coast, Townsville, Mount Isa and Longreach Airports.
She has held several senior roles in business and in aviation, including significant experience in the management of major international events and the logistical challenges associated with those events.
She is deeply committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, is the current Chair of the Australian Airports Association (AAA) Women in Aviation Committee and Chairs Queensland Airport’s Ltd Pride Committee.
She is an active supporter of the University as a mentor to Vice Chancellor's scholars and a member of Advisory Boards.
Hon Sarah Derrington AM
Hon Sarah Derrington AM was elected to Council on 12 May 2025.
She is a judge of the Federal Court of Australia, appointed in January 2018.
Immediately prior to her judicial appointment, she was Dean of the TC Beirne School of Law at the University of Queensland. She is a leader in international arbitration and maritime law, and her research interests lie in the areas of admiralty jurisdiction and practice, the carriage of goods by sea, and marine insurance. She has authored several publications as sole author and jointly including monographs, book chapters, journal articles and conference papers in the field of maritime law.
She has held several positions in various international working groups related to Maritime Law. She is currently Chair of the United Nations Coordination Committee for Australia (UNCCA). Between 2012 and 2017, she served on the board of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). She has been a member of the Admiralty Rules Committee since 2006 and continues to serve on the Council of the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM).
Greg Jenke
Greg Jenke was elected to Council on 24 May 2024.
He is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of senior management positions in the hospital and health care industry in both public and private hospitals, spanning 37 years across four states.
In addition, he has performed numerous health, service, development and planning roles for the communities in which he has worked around Australia. In these roles, he oversees the strategic, financial and operational performance of the hospitals. He has had more than 28 years of senior executive experience within the Ramsay Health Care Group.
As the Chief Executive of the John Flynn Hospital in Tugun he was a major driver of building good relations between the Hospital and the University. The Hospital provides placements for medical students and allied health students.
He is also active in the Gold Coast community through service on boards and committees, including currently as Director, Koala Research Foundation Australia and Director, Orthopaedic Clinics Gold Coast.
Having had experience managing health organisations both large and small, public and private, he understands the importance of providing an excellent service to the community by motivated and customer-focused staff whilst maintaining a result-oriented focus in accordance with business imperatives.
John Le Lievre
John Le Lievre was elected to Council on 18 May 2023.
He is an experienced businessman, having worked in various banking and finance related roles, and in agri-business. He was, for many years, a key figure in the PriceWaterhouseCoopers practice in the South West Pacific and Indonesia.
He then worked for EIE International Corporation, one of the founding partners of the University.
He eventually joined the staff of the University and worked in senior roles for over 20 years. He retired in 2020 as Vice President Operations.
He brings significant skills in accounting, finance and property development to the University Council.
Damien Vanderwilt
Damien Vanderwilt was elected to Council on 12 May 2025.
He is a Co-President and Head of Global Markets at Galaxy Digital Partners LLC. Galaxy is a diversified financial services and investment management company in the digital asset, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology sector.
Prior to joining Galaxy, he worked for 20 years at Goldman Sachs in various senior roles and latterly as a Partner in the Global Markets business in four different geographies (Sydney, Hong Kong, London and New York). He has held several leadership positions across both Equities and FCC where he managed execution, sales, trading, and technology teams at scale throughout his career.
He currently resides in the United States but visits Australia and South-East Asia regularly, for family and business reasons.
He is involved in the community sector through his contributions to NABU, a worldwide program that seeks to eradicate illiteracy in children and the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
He is a Bond Alumnus, graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Finance and Economics.
Kate Vidgen
Kate Vidgen was elected to Council on 19 May 2020.
She graduated from Bond as valedictorian in 1994, remaining connected with the University ever since. She has established an outstanding career, starting at the Macquarie Group where she progressed rapidly through the management ranks to become Global Head of Macquarie Capital’s Energy Principal.
Kate was also the founding Chair of Quadrant Energy, a large independent oil and gas company based in Perth, a non-Executive Director of Aurizon, Australia’s largest rail freight operator, and non-Executive Director and Victorian Chapter Chair of Chief Executive Women, which represents Australia’s most senior women leaders.
In 2019, she was awarded the Robert Stable Medal, Bond University’s highest alumni honour for career achievement.
Annabelle Williams OAM
Annabelle Williams OAM was elected to Council on 18 May 2023.
She is an Alumna of the University, graduating in 2013 with a Bachelor of Laws with honours and a Bachelor of International Relations.
She has worked with the Australian Olympic Commission and in private practice as a lawyer.
She has an impressive track record of experience in business, as an elite sports woman, media commentator and lawyer.
She is the founder and chief executive of a consultancy firm that works with major global corporations to facilitate the development of resilience, diversity, equity and inclusiveness within the workplace. In her current role she is a motivational speaker to a diverse range of organisations offering insights into links between perseverance and success as evidenced in her career as a Paralympian.
Potential candidates for appointment or election to the Bond University Council and as Ordinary Members of the Company are selected by the Nominations Advisory Committee.
The Nominations Advisory Committee is made up of six members of the Company: three appointed by Bond University Council and three selected from the Ordinary Members of the Company elected by the Ordinary Members of the Company at the Annual General Meeting.