Ms Alison Watkins AM
Chancellor of the University of Tasmania
Alison grew up on a farm in regional Tasmania. She attended Sorell Primary School and St Michael’s Collegiate in Hobart and studied at the University of Tasmania.
She is an experienced CEO and non-executive director. She is a member of the Reserve Bank of Australia Board and will shortly join CSL Limited and Wesfarmers Limited as a director. She is also a director of the Business Council of Australia and the Centre for Independent Studies.
Alison’s previous roles include Group Managing Director of Coca-Cola Amatil, Chief Executive Officer of GrainCorp Limited and Berri Limited, and Managing Director of Regional Banking at ANZ. Alison spent 10 years at McKinsey & Company from 1989-1999 and became a partner of the firm in 1996 before moving to ANZ as Group General Manager Strategy. Alison has been a non-executive director of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, Woolworths Limited and Just Group Limited.
Alison holds a Bachelor of Commerce (University of Tasmania) and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
A university for Tasmania, from Tasmania.
Since the very beginning, our mission has been to improve the lives of Tasmanians and care for our island home. But we also look outward to make distinctive contributions to the world’s challenges from our unique vantage point here in Tasmania.
Living on an island, we work to be sustainable in everything we do. We know that the Aboriginal people stewarded the island sustainability for tens of thousands of years and we seek to build a future for the island together with them. It is our mission to see Tasmania’s quality of life and environmental values become a model for a more sustainable world.
Our difference
Home to both pristine wilderness and vibrant cities, Tasmania is a very special place. As a university, it shapes everything we do. Our island informs our teaching, our research, and our unique ways of thinking. We have a distinctive culture that produces thinkers, writers, artists, and musicians, whose influence is felt around the globe.
Our location also gives us unique research strengths that are hard to replicate, with access to extraordinary wilderness on land, at sea and in the Antarctic and some of the finest agricultural land and most diverse geologies in the world. With a proud maritime heritage, we continue to train the nation’s seafarers and design the next generation of vessels for above and below the seas. Having an unrivalled vantage of the Southern skies, we do unique work in astronomy and astrophysics.
Our students
At the University of Tasmania, we commit to making our students more than a number, and the island our campus. Through our dedicated teaching staff and class sizes, everyone gets the support they need to thrive. We also offer scholarships and pathways to nurture each individual learning journey.
Our global connections
We work with like-minded partners from all around the world. The special qualities of our island draw 7,000 international students to study with us in Tasmania and abroad. Students here take Tasmania to the world with exchanges and overseas study at more than 100 universities.
Our research
As a university, we are always striving to make our island and our world a better place. The work of our dedicated researchers has a real impact. They lead the way in Antarctic science, dementia studies, marine conservation, forestry, agricultural technology, and more.
Our research leadership is demonstrated through our leading institutes and centres. These include the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, the Australian Maritime College, the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, the Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits, and the Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science.
Above all, we pursue our research because we believe that pushing back the boundaries of knowledge matters in itself and that for a sustainable for Tasmania and the world we will need new knowledge, products, services and jobs to create a truly circular and inclusive economy and society. The global excellence of work is well recognised in the many schemes that evaluate research performance.
To find out more, visit the University of Tasmania website www.utas.edu.au
Governance
University of Tasmania Council
The University Council is the governing body of the University of Tasmania. It is established by the University of Tasmania Act 1992 (TAS).
The Council is chaired by the Chancellor, who is appointed by the Council. The current Chancellor is Alison Watkins, and the current Deputy Chancellor is Mr Harvey Gibson.
Council makes decisions in relation to policy and planning, makes University legislation and approves policy documents. It is advised by its committees, its working parties, and (in relation to academic matters) the Academic Senate.
For more information, refer to the University of Tasmania Council Ordinance
Membership of the University of Tasmania’s Council is as follows:
Ex-Officio Members
Ms Alison Watkins AM – Chancellor (to 30 June 2025)
Professor Rufus Black – Vice-Chancellor and President (ongoing)
Professor Natalie Brown – Chair of Academic Senate (to 31 December 2024)
Appointed Members – Ministerial
Ms Tara Howell (to 31 December 2023)
Ms Sheree Vertigan AM (to 31 December 2023)
Appointed Members – Council
Mr James Groom - Deputy Chancellor (to 31 December 2024)
Professor Peter Dawkins (to 31 March 2025
Ms Alicia Leis (to 10 February 2025)
Ms Sarah-Jayne Hall (to 31 December 2024)
Ms Ariane Moore – Student member (to 31 December 2024)
Elected Members
Associate Professor Asheley Townsend – Academic Staff (to 31 December 2024)
Ms Karina Groenewoud – Professional Staff (to 31 December 2024)
Other Governing Bodies
Other Governing bodies within the University include:
Academic Senate
Chair – Professor Natalie Brown
Audit and Risk Committee
Chair – Ms Alicia Leis
Ceremonial and Honorary Degrees Committee
Chair – Ms Alison Watkins AM
Remuneration and Nominations Committee
Chair – Ms Alison Watkins AM
Strategic Resourcing Committee
Chair – Mr James Groom - Deputy Chancellor
University Foundation Committee
Chair- Professor Rufus Black