The Honourable Paul Henderson AO
Chancellor, Charles Darwin University
Early years: Paul Henderson was born in Croix-Chapeau, France, where his father was serving with the United States military. He was educated in the United Kingdom and studied marine engineering through the City and Guilds of London Institute. He worked as an apprentice marine fitter in Southampton before emigrating to Australia in 1982, where he worked as an underground fitter at the zinc mines in Rosebery, Tasmania. He moved to Darwin in the Northern Territory in 1983, working as a marine fitter. In 1985 he began working for the Northern Territory Government as a computer operator, later becoming IT Operations Manager for the Health Department.
Member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly: Mr Henderson was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in August 1999, representing the Darwin-based electorate of Wanguri. From 2001 – 2007, he was a senior Government Minister responsible for many portfolios including Education and Training, Business, Asian Relations and Trade, and Regional Development.
Northern Territory Chief Minister: Mr Henderson was elected unopposed as Parliamentary Leader of the Labor Party and Chief Minister of the Northern Territory in 2007 and held those posts until August 2012. As Chief Minister he dealt with a range of issues and challenges and helped guide the Northern Territory on the path to sustainable economic growth. His Government delivered the $34 billion lchthys LNG project for Darwin, the second largest investment in Australia’s history and the largest investment by any Japanese company outside of Japan.
Recognising that economic prosperity must be translated into social benefits, Mr Henderson is committed to the development of Northern Australia. He is equally focused on forging closer economic, social and cultural ties to our Asian neighbours and retains close relations with many leaders across South-East Asia.
As Chief Minister he was instrumental in establishing both the NT Medical Program and the North Australian Centre for Oil & Gas at CDU.
Post political career: Since retiring from politics in January 2013, Mr Henderson has co-founded and been Managing Partner of a Darwin-based consultancy focusing on business development and project facilitation.
Family: Married to Stacey for 30 years with 3 children Alasdair, Liam and Isabel.
Honours:
On 26 June 2013, granted the title "The Honourable" for life by the Governor-General.
Made an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Australia Day Honours list for his contribution to the Northern Territory.
Appointed Chancellor of Charles Darwin University in February 2019 and inducted to the position in March 2019.
University Profile
Charles Darwin University (CDU) is a sustainable, innovative, creative and inclusive new world university.
The University’s true character and richness stems from its primary location in the Top End of Australia. The University’s main campus is located in Australia’s most northern capital city of Darwin, which is a young, multicultural and cosmopolitan tropical city that sits on the rim of South-East Asia. As the only university in the Northern Territory, CDU is uniquely placed to provide education, training and research expertise to match the growing focus on Australia’s north.
The University was conceived to support the economic, environmental, cultural and social development of the Northern Territory. Working in partnership with the Territory and Australian Governments, CDU has established Higher Education, Vocational Education and Training, and Research portfolios strongly focused on Northern Australia and the surrounding South-East Asian region.
The University has grown from local community origins to become an internationally renowned dual sector university that teaches 24,000 students from more than 55 nationalities across 11 campuses and training centres, in over 100 regional and remote locations.
To support access to education, CDU has developed innovative methods of flexible delivery to broaden outreach to students with online learning. Charles Darwin University enables staff and prepares students to be creative thinkers and active contributors in a complex and changing world.
CDU is one of the leading universities Australia wide for Graduate Employment and Salary Outcomes and ranks =28th in the world out of the ‘Millennial Universities’ founded since the turn of the century.
In 2019 Times Higher Education introduced a new ranking to capture universities’ impact on society, based on institutions’ success in delivering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. CDU is one of the Top 45 universities in the world for helping to create sustainable cities and communities. CDU ranks in the Top 100 for helping to reduce inequity, and for helping to improve health and wellbeing.
CDU has won the Northern Territory VET Training Provider of the Year three years in a row (2017, 2018 and 2019) and has recently produced the Australian Trainee of the Year and the Australian Apprentice of the Year.
CDU is a progressive, research-intensive university that prioritises the complex issues facing Northern Australia and the Asia-Pacific. Our internationally recognised research is strongly aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and makes a real, positive difference in people’s lives. CDU has delivered research breakthroughs in malaria treatment, technologies to improve health in remote communities, preserving Indigenous languages, and accelerating STEM education using technology.
In a relatively short space of time, CDU has developed a reputation as one of Australia’s most innovative universities, made richer by the diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives of its students and staff.
To find out more, visit the Charles Darwin University website www.cdu.edu.au
Governance
Council of Charles Darwin University
Council assumes stewardship of the University through a set of responsibilities set out in Section 8 of the Charles Darwin University Act 2003 (NT). Council works to:
Monitor the performance of the Vice-Chancellor
Approve the mission and strategic direction of the University
Approve the budget and business plan of the University
Oversee the management of the University, including approving significant commercial activities
Regularly review delegations under the Act
Monitor systems of accountability implemented by the University
Review management practices and performance of the University
Oversee risk management across the University.
Membership of Charles Darwin University’s Council is as follows:
Ex-Officio Members
The Hon. Paul Henderson AO, Chancellor – Chancellor (to 31 December 2021)
Professor Simon Maddocks – Vice-Chancellor
Dr Aggie Wegner – Chair of Academic Board (to 31 December 2021)
Appointed Members – Administrator
Professor Judith Whitworth AC (to 29 September 2021)
Mr Alan Morris (to 29 September 2021)
Mr Richard Ryan AO (to 11 June 2022)
Mr Ken Davies (to 11 June 2022)
Ms Jodie Ryan (to 18 August 2020)
Vacant
Elected Members
Mr Raymond Simpson – Academic Staff (to 31 December 2022)
Associate Professor Alan Berman – Academic Staff (to 31 December 2022)
Mr Nagendra Timilsina – Postgraduate Student (to 31 December 2020)
Mr Peter Clee – Undergraduate Student (to 31 December 2020)
Other Governing Bodies
Other Governing bodies within the University include:
Academic Board
Chair – Dr Aggie Wegner
Finance and Infrastructure Development Committee
Chair – Mr Richard Ryan AO
Audit and Risk Committee
Chair – Mr Alan Morris
Nominations, Honorary Awards and Legislation Committee
Chair – The Hon. Paul Henderson AO, Chancellor
Remuneration Committee
Chair – The Hon. Paul Henderson AO, Chancellor
Tender Committee
Chair – Ms Joanne Schilling