Ms Jane Hansen AO
Chancellor of The University of Melbourne
Jane Hansen AO is the 23rd Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, appointed on 1 January 2023.
Jane was first appointed to the Council in January 2016 and served as Deputy Chancellor from 1 January 2018 to the 31 December 2022.
Jane is currently Chair of the Melbourne Theatre Company, and CEO and Chair of the Hansen Little Foundation. She is also Chair of the New Campaign Advisory Board and a member of the Humanities Foundation Advisory Board for the University of Melbourne. Jane also serves on the Board of Opera Australia and The Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation. She is a Company Director with more than 25 years investment banking, strategy and management experience internationally, working formerly as a mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance specialist at Macquarie Bank and First Boston/Credit Suisse.
She holds a Bachelor of Economics from Monash University and a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in History, from the University of Melbourne, and a Master’s degree in Finance and Business Administration from Columbia University, New York.
Jane Hansen was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the community, to education and cultural institutions, and through philanthropic support for charitable foundations in 2020.
University Profile
Established in 1853, the University of Melbourne is one of the oldest universities in Australia and the first in the state of Victoria.
The University’s purpose is to benefit society through the transformative impact of education and research. Nearly 10,000 academic and professional staff support a vibrant community of more than 52,000 students, including more than 20,000 international students from 150 countries.
The University is situated on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung, Bunurong, Yorta Yorta and the Dja Dja Wurrung people. It comprises eight campuses: Burnley, Creswick, Dookie, Fishermans Bend, Parkville, Shepparton, Southbank, and Werribee.
The University’s vision is to equip students with an outstanding education personalised around their interests and needs and embedded in a collaborative research culture. Students can study a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses that are offered by nine faculties: arts, architecture, business and economics, education, engineering and information technology, fine arts and music, law, science, and medicine, dentistry and health sciences.
The University is embedded within world-class research and innovation precincts and engages with its communities and partners to address major social, economic, medical and environmental challenges.
The University of Melbourne is ranked among the best universities in the world, delivering education and research that is global in reach, ambition and impact.
To find out more, visit the University of Melbourne website www.unimelb.edu.au
Governance
University of Melbourne Council
Council is the governing body of the University of Melbourne and has the entire direction and superintendence of the University. Council is appointed pursuant to the University of Melbourne Act 2009 (Vic).
In accordance with Section 8(3) of the University of Melbourne Act, the primary responsibilities of the Council include:
(a) appointing and monitoring the performance of the Vice-Chancellor as chief executive officer of the University;
(b) approving the mission and strategic direction of the University and its annual budget and business plan;
(c) overseeing and reviewing the management of the University and its performance;
(d) establishing policy and procedural principles for the operation of the University consistent with legal requirements and community expectations;
(e) approving and monitoring systems of control and accountability of the University, including those required to maintain a general overview of any entity over which the University has control within the meaning of section 3 of the Audit Act 1994;
(f) overseeing and monitoring the assessment and management of risk across the University, including university commercial activities;
(g) overseeing and monitoring the academic activities of the University;
(h) approving any significant university commercial activities.
For further information, refer to:
the University of Melbourne's Council Charter
membership of the University of Melbourne's Council
Membership of the University of Melbourne’s Council is as follows:
Ex-Officio Members
Ms Jane Hansen AO - Chancellor
Professor Duncan Maskell - Vice-Chancellor
Professor Karen Farquharson - President of Academic Board
Appointed Members – Ministerial
Mr Mark Leibler AC
Appointed Members – Government
Dr Raphael Arndt
Ms Wendy Stops - Deputy Chancellor
Dr Helen Szoke AO
Appointed Members – Council
Ms Nadia Carlin
PRofessor Andrew Cuthbertson AO- Deputy Chancellor
Mr Andrew Sisson AO
Professor Joseph J. Y. Sung SBS JP
Elected Members
Professor Lou Harms - Staff elected member of Council
Mr Archit Agrawal - Student elected member of Council
Other Governing Bodies
Other Governing bodies within the University include:
Finance Committee
Chair – Ms Jane Hansen AO, Chancellor
Investment Management Committee
Chair – Mr Andrew Sisson AO
Audit and Risk Committee
Chair – Ms Nadia Carlin
Governance and Nominations Committee
Chair – Ms Jane Hansen AO, Chancellor
Human Resources and Remuneration Committee
Chair – Ms Wendy Stops, Deputy Chancellor
Gift Committee
Chair – Professor Andrew Cuthbertson AO - Deputy Chancellor