Mr George Pappas AO, BEc(Hons)Monash, MBA Harvard Business School
Chancellor of Victoria University
The Chancellor is part of the University Council, which is the governing authority of the University and responsible for the direction and superintendence of VU.
George Pappas AO became the fourth Chancellor of Victoria University on 1 January 2010. His term as Chancellor will cease on 31 December 2019.
George was born in Rhodes, Greece and immigrated to Australia in 1952. He has a Bachelor of Economics with First Class Honours from Monash University (1968) and an MBA, with Distinction, from Harvard Business School (1971).
After graduating from Harvard Business School in 1971, George joined the international management consulting firm, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Boston, later moving to Tokyo.
He returned to Australia and co-founded Pappas Carter Evans and Koop (PCEK) in 1979. Over the next ten years, PCEK became the leading Australian management consultancy providing strategic advice to the top management of our largest companies. Following BCG’s acquisition of PCEK in 1990, George became Managing Partner of BCG’s Australasian offices and a member of BCG’s worldwide Executive Committee.
George retired from BCG in 2002 and remains a Senior Advisor to the firm. Since then George has undertaken several assignments for State and Federal governments, including serving as the Under Secretary of the Victorian Premier’s Department from 2003 to 2005 and leading the Audit of the Federal Defence Budget in 2008. He was a participant in the Prime Minister’s 2020 Summit.
George was appointed Chairman of the Committee for Melbourne in 2005 and retired after eight years as Chairman at the Committee’s Annual General Meeting in November 2013. During his tenure, he led a group whose members comprise a cross section of the city’s most influential companies and institutions and personally led the Committee’s effort to support new and innovative industry development, as well as the promotion of Melbourne’s Higher Education sector.
As Chairman of Energy Matters Pty Ltd (2008-2014), George led and mentored a group of young entrepreneurs who are establishing one of Australia’s leading suppliers and installers of clean energy products.
George also has chaired the Federal Government’s Defence Strategic Reform Advisory Board (2009-2012) and is a former Director of the Western Bulldogs Football Club.
Currently, George is a Board member of the Hellenic Museum in Melbourne.
University Profile
A champion of diversity, Victoria University (VU) in Melbourne is recognised for its world-class teaching, research and international outlook, ranking in the top 2 per cent of universities worldwide in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2016/17). It is also ranked 56 in the world’s top universities aged under 50 by the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings (2016/17).
This year VU will be revolutionising the first-year university experience with the introduction of the First Year Model. Students will focus on one unit at a time, three days a week, over four weeks. In addition to this, students will also develop transferable enterprise skills that employers are looking for. These skills will assist graduates in gaining positive career outcomes in the varied roles they can expect throughout their working life.
Delivering both higher education and vocational education and training, (via its TAFE division, Victoria University Polytechnic), VU offers flexible pathways across certificates, diplomas and bachelor degrees, as well as masters and PhDs.
VU has recently modernised its course entry requirements to include a broader range of selection criteria, providing greater accessibility and opportunity for students pursuing higher education.
With an emphasis on career development, employability, entrepreneurship, and leadership capability for a global context, graduates are job-ready and highly regarded by prospective employers.
With its excellent research profile, VU provides quality research and research training which emphasises applied and translational research in the areas of Sport, Health and Active Living, and Sustainable, Liveable, Creative and Smart Cities.
VU is also one of the leading sports universities in the Southern Hemisphere, with several elite sport-related industry partnerships including an extremely successful 20 year partnership with the Western Bulldogs AFL team.
VU creates opportunity and success for more than 40,000 students every year. This includes 5,600 international students studying in Melbourne from over 100 countries, and another 8,800 students at VU’s partner institutions in the People’s Republic of China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Many of VU’s courses are developed with, and accredited by, globally recognised industry bodies, including Engineers Australia, Certified Practising Accountants Australia, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia, and the Australian Computer Society.
In addition to undergraduate degrees and postgraduate coursework and research degrees, VU also offers short courses, apprenticeships, certificates and diplomas through its TAFE entity Victoria University Polytechnic.
VU has several campuses in Melbourne’s CBD and western suburbs, and one campus in Sydney. It also offers courses at partner institutions throughout Asia. Some 202,000 VU alumni now reside and work in more than 140 countries worldwide.
VU has strong connections to industry and collaborates with a broad network of industry and business partners provides outstanding opportunities for student workplace learning . Among its key partners are the Western Bulldogs Football Club, Western Health, City West Water, LinFox, Australian Institute of Sport, CSIRO, Tourism Victoria, AusAID and the World Health Organisation.
Its range of scholarship programs include Achievement Scholarships offered to each of the almost 50 secondary schools in Melbourne’s west, and the new Chancellor’s Scholars Program for commencing students achieving an ATAR of least 90. Access Scholarships are available for students with financial need.
In 2016, VU celebrated 100 years since the establishment of its founding institution, the Footscray Technical School, and concurrently its 25th anniversary as a university.
Today, VU continues to shape its future as a university that is accessible, flexible, internationally engaged, and strongly connected to local industry and community, truly making it the University of Opportunity and Success.
To find out more, visit the Victoria University website www.vu.edu.au
Governance
Victoria University Council
The Council
is the governing body of the University;
has the general direction and superintendence of the University; and
subject to this Act, the university statutes and university regulations, may exercise all the powers, functions and duties of the University.
The primary Responsibilities, Powers and Functions of the Council are included in the Victoria University Act 2010 (VIC).
To view the most up-to-date version of the Victoria University Act 2010 (VIC) visit the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents site and follow these steps:
click on “Victorian Law Today”
at the top left hand corner select “Acts” and the letter “V”
scroll down and select “Victoria University Act 2010”
click on the PDF or Microsoft Word icon.
Membership of Victoria University’s Council is as follows:
Ex-Officio Members
Mr George Pappas AO – Chancellor (to 31 December 2019)
Mr Peter Dawkins – Vice-Chancellor
Ms Deborah Tyler – Chair of Academic Board
Appointed Members – Government
Ms Virginia Simmons (to 31 December 2018) Further appointment pending Government approval
Mrs Gaye Hamilton (to 31 December 2020)
Ms Elizabeth Beattie (to 31 December 2018) Further appointment pending Government approval
Mr Mark Toohey (to 31 December 2019)
Susan Schlesinger (to 31 December 2020)
Appointed Members – Council
Ms Rhonda Hawkins AM (to 31 December 2019)
Mr Wayne Kayler-Thomson (to 31 December 2020)
Mr Peter George (to 31 December 2020)
Mr Geoff Dale (to 31 December 2019)
Elected Members
Dr Siew Fang Law – Staff (to 31 July 2020)
Ms Ghofran Al-Nasiri – Student (to 31 July 2020)
Other Governing Bodies
Other Governing bodies within the University include:
Council Standing Committees:
Nominations Committee
Chair – Mrs Gaye Hamilton
Remuneration Committee
Chair – Mr George Pappas AO, Chancellor
Finance and Investment Committee
Chair – Mr Mark Toohey
Compliance, Audit and Risk Committee
Chair – Mr Peter George
Infrastructure Planning Committee
Chair – Ms Rhonda Hawkins
Leadership and Culture Committee
Chair – Mr Geoff Dale
Academic Board and Standing Committees:
Academic Board
Chair – Ms Deborah Tyler
Courses Committee
Chair – Associate Professor Tom Clark
Research and Research Training Committee
Chair – Associate Professor Randall Robinson
Learning and Teaching Quality Committee
Chair – Dr Mark Selkrig