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.Â
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
Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC
The Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC was formally elected as Bond University’s eighth Chancellor on 19 April, 2016.
The Chancellor is responsible for providing leadership to the Council. This appointment is wide-reaching and includes a number of responsibilities, from facilitating discussion on Council and University matters, to managing Council’s relationship with the senior management of the University.Â
The Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC has had a distinguished career in the law and in higher education. She began her career in science, completing a Bachelor of Science and PhD in cell biology. But in the early 80s, she changed careers to follow a lifelong interest in the law, which saw her appointed as Senior Counsel in New South Wales in 1994, and to a series of prominent legal and advisory roles. Before being elected to the role of Chancellor, Dr Bennett retired as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia in March 2016.
In 2005, Dr Bennett was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for 'service to the law, particularly in the areas of intellectual property, administrative law and professional conduct; and to the community through a range of educational, medical, women’s and business organisations'. This was upgraded to a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2019.
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Former Chancellors
Dr Helen Nugent AOÂ
Chancellor from 22 May, 2009 to 19 April, 2016
Dr Trevor Rowe AOÂ
Chancellor from 30 May, 2003 to 22 May, 2009
Dr Imelda Roche AOÂ
Chancellor from 25 November, 1999 to 30 May, 2003
Acting Chancellor from 5 August, 1999 to 25 November, 1999Dr Paul Scully-Power AM DSM NSMÂ
Chancellor from 1 January, 1998 to 5 August, 1999
Emeritus Professor Harry Messel AC CBEÂ
Chancellor from 3 April, 1992 to 31 December, 1997Â
Executive Chancellor from 7 February, 1993 to 14 July, 1995Ms Elizabeth Nosworthy AOÂ
Chancellor from 10 March, 1991 to 11 February, 1992
Acting Chancellor from 13 March, 1990Â to 9 March, 1991Sir Sydney SchubertÂ
Chancellor from 1 July, 1987 to 13 March, 1990Â
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.
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David Baxby
LLB / BCom, Bond UniversityÂ
Investor / Non-Executive Director – Annecy CapitalSince graduating from Bond, David Baxby has forged an international career and has firmly established himself as a business leader. Starting his career in investment houses Rothschild and Goldman Sachs, David was recruited by Sir Richard Branson to work for the Virgin Group, rising through the ranks to become Co-CEO in 2011, where he was responsible for the Virgin Group’s global investments. He then moved to Switzerland to take on the role of CEO and President of Global Blue in 2014 before returning to Australia as the Managing Director – Industrials for Wesfarmers Limited. Since 2020, he has worked in private investing.Â
David has served on Bond University Council since January 2016.Â
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Derek Cronin
LLB, Bond UniversityÂ
Managing Partner – Cronin Miller LitigationOne of Bond’s original 322 founding students, Derek Cronin has a longstanding connection to Bond. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1991 and went on to be admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia and established his own specialty law practice, Cronin Miller Litigation.
He has a long history of community engagement and philanthropy, having served on the boards of several local charities including the Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth and the Queensland AIDS Council. A founding member and chair of Bond’s Alumni Advisory Board, he has mentored Bond students through the Vice Chancellor’s Mentor program and continues to be an active and valued member of the University community.Â
Derek was first elected to Council in April 2015.
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Professor Daryl Le Grew AO
BArch, March
Director – Le Grew Design Pty LtdÂ
Vice Chancellor Fellow – University of MelbourneProfessor Daryl Le Grew is an internationally recognised architect, researcher, and higher education leader, who has made an extraordinary contribution to the transformation of higher education and public architecture in Australia.Â
Professor Le Grew launched his university career at Deakin University, going on to become Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic), Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (Academic), Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research), and Acting Vice Chancellor. He also served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) the University of Tasmania, and was the Vice Chancellor’s Fellow at Monash University and the University of Melbourne. Professor Le Grew has held a number of significant public appointments and has consulted on many public infrastructure projects, including the Ian Potter Museum at Federation Square, and Christchurch Art Gallery. He established his own firm, Le Grew Design, where he offers consulting services.
In 2019, Professor Le Grew was recognised as an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to education, research infrastructure development, and architecture.Â
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Marion Charlton
Chief Operating Officer, Gold Coast Airport
Marion Charlton was elected to Council in April 2022. Â She is the Chief Operating Officer at the Gold Coast Airport where she is overseeing a major transformational redevelopment of the airport facility.
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 Chair of the Board of Placemakers (which delivers the Bleach Festival) and is a member of the Advisory Board for Study Gold Coast. She is an active supporter of the University as a mentor to Vice Chancellor's scholars and a member of Advisory Boards.
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Lisa MacCallum
BCom/BA (Bond)Â
Founder & Chief Strategist – Inspired CompaniesÂ
Co-author – Inspired INC: Become a company the world will get behindOne of Bond’s original 322 founding students in 1989, Lisa MacCallum has gone on to achieve incredible success in her career, including as Vice President of sporting industry giant Nike and founder of Nike’s Global Access to Sports strategy.
In her 13-year career with Nike, Lisa held commercial and brand leadership positions in the USA and globally. She was also Managing Director of the Nike Foundation, leading the teams responsible for launching the award-winning Girl Effect and Designed to Move global alliance. In 2012, she was one of only four Australians named in the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders list.
Today, Lisa is chief strategist of Inspired Companies, advising companies around the world on how to create brand distinction through the pursuit of big ideas, shared values, and a fierce sense of purpose. She is also in demand as a high-impact public speaker, corporate board and C-suite advisor for internationally recognised brands.
Lisa was elected to the Bond University Council in 2017.
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Lisa Paul AO PSM
BA (Hons)Â
Former Secretary of the Federal Department of Education and TrainingLisa Paul AO PSM has been honoured for her achievements in education, employment and the workplace during a successful career as a senior public servant and policymaker, including being awarded a Public Service Medal and being named an officer of the Order of Australia.
Lisa was Chief Executive (Secretary) in the Australian Federal Government for more than a decade, serving five Prime Ministers and nine Cabinet Ministers. Since leaving the public sector in 2016, she has taken on a variety of memberships and directorships, including as Chair of national youth mental health foundation, headspace.
Lisa was honoured with a Public Service Medal in 2003 for her role in developing the Commonwealth’s response in support of the victims of the 2002 Bali bombings, in the role of Chair of the Commonwealth Bali Interagency Taskforce. In 2011, she was named as an officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to public sector leadership in key policy and program implementation, particularly through driving reform in education, employment, and workplace.
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Dr Manny Pohl AM
BSc, MBA, DBAÂ
Chair/CIO – ECP Asset ManagementÂDr Manny Pohl AM is one of Australia’s leading investment managers and philanthropists, and has been a long-time supporter of Bond University.
Originally from South Africa, Dr Pohl migrated to Australia in 1994 and joined Westpac Investment Management. Since, he spent 16 years with Hyperion Asset Management as Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director and Chairman of the Investment Committee.In 2012, Dr Pohl established EC Pohl & Co and its subsidiary ECP Asset Management, which has been ranked as one of the top four fund managers in Australia.
He also founded the Pohl Foundation, which supports a range of causes across the arts, environment, health, and wellbeing sectors, as well as the wider community.
Dr Pohl was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2019 for significant service to the finance sector and to the community. He has served on Council since 2016.
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Kate Vidgen
LLB/BA (Bond)
Executive Director – Global Head of Energy Principal, Macquarie Capital
Non-Executive Director & Chair – Remuneration & HR Committee, Aurizon Holdings Pty LtdKate Vidgen 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. Kate has served on Council since 2020.
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.