David Baxby
Chancellor of Bond University
David Baxby was elected as the ninth Chancellor of Bond University on 24 May 2024.
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.
University Profile
Bond University is Australia’s first private, not-for-profit University, offering a personalised academic environment that enables graduates to exceed the outer limits of their potential – in their career and in life.
Created in the scholarly traditions of pre-eminent private universities of world standing, Bond University challenges students to be leaders and thinkers; taking them beyond the accepted definition of a university education to develop initiative, enterprise, ambition and a lifelong commitment to making a meaningful contribution to their field.
Bond offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Law, Business, Communication and Creative Media, Architecture and Built Environment and Health Sciences & Medicine. All students have access to unparalleled academic and technological resources on Bond’s world-class Gold Coast campus.
Bond’s personalised approach to education combined with its uncompromising focus on industry relevance sets Bond University apart from every other Australian university.
Students thrive in smaller study groups where eminent professors and industry-experienced lecturers know them by name.
Students have open access to industry leaders, corporate high-flyers and notable achievers who actively participate in Bond’s guest speaker programs. Students are given the opportunity to study overseas through established partnerships with some of the world’s leading universities and research facilities.
And by undertaking three semesters per year instead of the usual two, students complete their degree studies twelve months or more before their colleagues from other universities, thereby gaining a vital advantage in the ultra-competitive careers market.
This advantage is further driven by graduates themselves. Many within Bond University’s close-knit global network of alumni now hold upper echelon management and partnership positions in blue-chip organisations around the world and maintain that their Bond experience was a key factor in fast-tracking their careers.
Ultimately, the results speak for themselves. For over a decade, Bond University has received more 5-star ratings for Student Experience than any other university in Australia in The Good Universities Guide, published annually.
Third party research also shows that employers know Bond graduates are better prepared for the workplace than any other university graduates.
At Bond University, we believe that potential becomes limitless when you combine ambition with opportunity. In fact, we not only share your ambition, we bring it to life.
To find out more, visit the Bond University website www.bond.edu.au
Governance
Bond University Council
Council is responsible to the University’s stakeholders and the broader community to ensure that the University is managed prudently, efficiently and in compliance with all relevant regulation with a view to ensuring the institution’s sustainability over time. Council leads the University community of students, staff and others to meet and advance the University’s goals and objectives.
Councillors, individually and collectively, represent the University externally to further the University’s interest when they are operating in their role as a member of Council. The responsibility of each member of the Council is to the University as a whole, not to any sectional interest group.
Membership of Bond University’s Council is as follows:
Appointed Members – Council
Professor Tim Brailsford – Vice-Chancellor
Elected Members
Mr David Baxby – Chancellor
Mr Antony Ceravalo
Ms Annabelle Williams OAM
Mr Greg Jenke
Ms Lisa MacCallum
Professor Daryl Le Grew AO
Ms Marion Charlton
Ms Kate Vidgen
Mr John Le Lievre
Other Governing Bodies
Other Governing bodies within the University include:
Audit, Risk and Safety Committee
Chair – Mr Adam Twemlow
Nominations Advisory Committee
Chair – Mr David Baxby, Chancellor
Honorary Awards Committee
Chair – Mr David Baxby, Chancellor