Dr Michele Allan
Chancellor of Charles Sturt University
Dr Michele Allan is a food industry and agribusiness specialist who has held senior executive and director positions in the food and education sectors, and has an academic background in biomedical science, management and law.
Dr Allan is the current Chair of Apple and Pear Australia Limited and current Chair of Meat and Livestock Australia. Her current board positions include Grain Growers Limited, Innovation and Science Australia, CSIRO and Nuffield Australia.
Dr Allan has held non-executive director positions with the Grains and Legumes Nutrition Council (formerly Go Grains Health & Nutrition), Patties Foods Limited, the Dairy Research and Development Corporation (now part of Dairy Australia), Forest and Wood Products Australia, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand, Tasmanian Irrigation, Callaghan Innovation, RuralCo and Birchip Cropping Group.
In 2013, she was appointed by the Commonwealth Minister for Agriculture to chair the Wheat Industry Advisory Taskforce. In 2014, she was appointed by the Federal Government to lead the Tasmanian Fruit and Vegetable Taskforce. In 2016, she was appointed by the Federal Government to the Expert Panel, Driving Innovation, Fairness and Excellence in Australian Higher Education.
Prior to commencing her board career, Dr Allan was Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Patties Foods Limited until 2008, and held executive roles with Amcor Limited, Tasmanian Bioinformatics Centre of Excellence, Bonlac Foods Limited, Kraft Foods and ICI Dulux.
Dr Allan has a Bachelor of Applied Science Major – Biomedical Science – Cytology from University Technology Sydney, Master of Management (Technology) from the University of Melbourne, Doctor of Business Administration from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and a Master of Commercial Law from Deakin University. She is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
University Profile
Charles Sturt University is the largest regionally-based university in Australia. Our courses are delivered through a range of modes to support the professions regionally, domestically and internationally.
We have long been a leader in online-supported distance learning and the largest and one of the most experienced providers of courses delivered by distance education. We offer a suite of courses comparable to universities nation-wide, as well as with a focus on the skills and shortages that affect our communities. We’ve created new courses to meet the demands of the skills graduates of the future will need – in business, accounting, social work and care, engineering and medicine alongside our historical strengths in agriculture, communications, community health and the environment. We continue to graduate more indigenous students at Charles Sturt than any other Australian university. We continue to push to be at the forefront of what Australians will need to work, live and be healthy, as they lead meaningful lives.
Our campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Canberra, Dubbo, Goulburn, Orange, Parramatta, Port Macquarie and Wagga Wagga serve the distinct needs of regional communities from northern New South Wales to central Victoria and our Study Centres in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane provide on-campus education to international students in a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. We also deliver programs internationally in collaboration with leading partner institutions in Europe and Asia, as well as through distance education.
Our research is world class – it is impactful in many ways. It supports communities, industries and global populations. The University’s researchers work in consultation and collaboration with end-users, industry, the professions and communities for the public good. We believe in making a difference and this is evidenced through our research outputs across many disciplines.
We are a university of the land and people of our regions. Our ethos, a Wiradjuri phrase, yindymarra winhanganha, meaning the wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth living in, embodies our drive to deliver on our objectives of successful graduates and vibrant regional communities while ensuring we develop a strong university built on a capable, agile workforce.
Our four guiding values support our aspirations to be Insightful, Inclusive, Impactful and Inspiring. These values are the principles that guide our decision-making and underpin our ways of working. As a university, we strive to understand people and the world, embracing our differences and recognising the strength and value of working together. We aim to make a difference in society through the work we do and lead for a bright and sustainable future.
To find out more, visit the Charles Sturt University website www.csu.edu.au
Governance
Charles Sturt University Council
The Charles Sturt University Council is constituted to ensure the proper stewardship and strategic direction of the University, and is directly accountable to the stakeholders of the University for creating and delivering value and improved performance through effective governance.
Membership of Charles Sturt University’s Council is as follows:
Ex-Officio Members
Dr Michele Allan – Chancellor (to 2 December 2023)
Professor Andrew Vann – Vice-Chancellor (to 24 December 2021)
Emeritus Professor Joyce Kirk (to 31 December 2020)
Appointed Members – Ministerial
Dr Saranne Cooke – Deputy Chancellor (to 30 June 2021)
Mr John Lloyd (to 13 October 2023)
Appointed Members – Council
Mr Graeme Bailey (to 30 June 2022)
Mr Philip Marcus Clark AO (to 30 June 2023)
Dr Kate Cornick (to 31 January 2022)
Mr Jamie Newman – Graduate (to 30 June 2021)
Ms Lisa Schofield (to 31 December 2023)
Emeritus Professor Christina Slade (to 30 June 2023)
Dr Lyndal Thorburn (to 30 June 2023)
Dr Peter Woodgate (to 31 January 2022)
Elected Members
Mr Benjamin Fry – Interim Student Member (to 30 June 2020)
Ms Julie Cleary – Professional Staff (to 30 June 2020)
Associate Professor Shokoofeh Shamsi – Academic Staff (to 30 June 2020)
Other Governing Bodies
Other Governing bodies within the University include:
Academic Senate
Chair – Emeritus Professor Joyce Kirk
Chancellor’s Foresighting Committee
Chair – Dr Peter Woodgate
Nomination and Remuneration Committee
Chair – Dr Michele Allan
Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
Chair – Dr Saranne Cooke
Investment Committee
Chair – Mr Graeme Bailey