Structure

Governing body

Subject to the provisions of the Act and the role of the Trustees, is the governing body of the University and has control over management of the affairs and concerns of the University.

The Board of Directors’ Governance Statement sets out governance mechanisms adopted by the Board to ensure its efficient and effective operation.

Board of Directors membership

Hon. Christopher Ellison	Chancellor A former Cabinet Minister in the Howard Government, the Honourable Chris Ellison represented Western Australia in the Senate from July 1993 to January 2009. After graduating with a Law degree from the University of Western Australia, Mr Ellison spent two years as a lawyer with the Legal Aid Commission of Western Australia. He practised as a barrister and solicitor and was a partner in his own law firm, Williams Ellison between 1980 and 1993. After his election in 1993 in Opposition he chaired the Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee from 1993 to 1996 and was involved in a number of Senate committees. In 1997, he entered the Howard ministry as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Family Services and to the Attorney-General. He was promoted to Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs and Minister Assisting the Attorney-General (1997), then Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training (1997-1998), and Special Minister of State (1998-2001). He was Minister for Justice and Customs between January 2001 and March 2007. From March 2007 until the defeat of the Howard Government in the 2007 election, Mr Ellison was a member of Cabinet as Minister for Human Services, overseeing the service delivery of Government agencies including Centrelink, Medicare and the Child Support Agency. Mr Ellison remains Australia’s longest serving Minister for Justice. Whilst in the Ministry he was Manager of Government Business in the Senate. In 2007 in Opposition, he held the offices of Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, along with Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate from December 2007 to September 2008. In addition, Senator Ellison was the Chair of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee. Since leaving the Senate in 2009 he has been on the Board of Doric Construction (2011-2017) and was a Director of the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation from 2014 to 2023. He was also Chair of Australia’s Northwest Tourism (2010-2015) and Chair of Academic Board West for Study Group Australia (2010-2017). He was formerly Chair of the Trinity College Board and is a Trustee of the JA Kelly Scholarship Foundation at the School. Mr Ellison still holds a current legal practising certificate, resides in Perth, and is married to Caroline with two sons and a daughter.
Mr Michael L'Estrange AO	*Deputy Chancellor* Mr L’Estrange is a graduate of the University of Sydney (BA Hons) and Oxford University (MA). He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1975 and a Harkness Fellowship in 1986. Michael enjoyed a long career in public service including as a diplomat and as Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He joined the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 1981. From 1996 until 2000, Mr L’Estrange was Secretary of Cabinet to Prime Minister John Howard and Head of the Cabinet Policy Unit. He also held the position of Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2005. He returned to Australia in 2005 to take up the position of Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra, a position he held until 2009. In 2007, for his 'service to the development and implementation of public policy in Australia, particularly national security and foreign policy, and to international relations through fostering diplomatic, trade and cultural interests including strengthening Australia's relationship with the United Kingdom', Michael was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia. From 2009 until 2015, Michael was the inaugural Head of the National Security College at the Australian National University. He was a Non-Executive Director of Rio Tinto from 2014 to 2021 and of Qantas from 2016 to 2023. He is currently on the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame Australia, and is the University’s Deputy Chancellor. Michael is married to Jane, and they have five sons.
Professor Francis Campbell	Vice Chancellor Professor Campbell joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as a member of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service in 1997. He has worked at the United Nations Security Council in New York, the European Union, and at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London and on diplomatic postings overseas. From 1999-2003, he served on the staff of the then Prime Minister Tony Blair, first as a Policy Adviser in the No.10 Policy Unit, and then as a Private Secretary to the Prime Minister. He also served on secondment with Amnesty International as the Senior Director of Policy. From 2005-2011, he served as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Holy See. From 2011-13, he served as Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan. From 2013-2014 he was the Head of the Policy Unit in the FCO and Director of Innovation at UK Trade and Investment. From 2014-2020, Professor Campbell served as Vice Chancellor of St. Mary’s University in London and also Professor of International Relations, while on special leave from the Foreign Office. In February 2020, Professor Campbell became the fourth Vice Chancellor of The University of Notre Dame Australia. He also holds the position of Professor, International Relations. He has been a Member of the Advisory Panel of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, London. He also served on a number of governing bodies including St. Mary’s University, St. Joseph’s Hospice (London), St. Elizabeth’s School (London) and Carlow College (Ireland). He continues to serve as a Trustee of Forward Thinking (London). More recently, Professor Campbell was appointed a Governor of the Forrest Research Foundation, member of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Board of Directors and is a founding member of the International Council on Human Trafficking at St Thomas University, Miami, School of Law.
Ms Hilary Johnston-Croke	Ms Johnston-Croke has almost 40 years of experience as a teacher and 30 years as an educational leader. Hilary was Principal of Kincoppal-Rose Bay School of the Sacred Heart from 2005-2017. Before that she was Principal of Catherine McAuley Westmead for almost 10 years. Originally from the United Kingdom, Hilary is a graduate of the University of Sheffield with an Honours degree in Biochemistry and Physiology. She also studied Teacher Education at the University of Oxford. Hilary’s early teaching career was in the United Kingdom and Unites States of America. After moving to Australia, Hilary continued her postgraduate studies, achieving her Masters of Education at the University of Sydney and Graduate Diploma in Theology at Sydney College of Divinity. In Australia her career flourished as she moved into various leadership roles in a number of Catholic schools including Loreto Normanhurst (Deputy Principal) and St Aloysius College Milsons Point (Head of Science). She was the Deputy President and Executive Member of the Heads of Independent Girls Schools (NSW) and a leading Principal of the Asian Education Foundation. Hilary was a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia for 13 years. Hilary currently mentors aspiring Principals and current educational leaders. In 2020 she was made a Dame in the Order of St Gregory for her services to Australian Catholic Education. Hilary is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is currently a director of The Madeleine & Alannah Foundation, The Infants Home Child and Family Services, Sydney, and Mary MacKillop Today. She is also Chair of the Global Leaders Advisory Board at the University of Wollongong. Hilary is Chair of Notre Dame’s Engagement Advisory Committee.
Mr Andrew Whitechurch	Mr Whitechurch has over 25 years of experience as a senior executive in financial services and commercial banking. During his executive career he held senior leadership roles in Business and Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Corporate Strategy, Marketing, Distribution, Product Development and Technology; and was involved in financial services operations in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, the US and seven countries across Asia. He also has extensive experience as a Non-Executive Director, having made significant contributions as a Director and Chair of organisations in Financial Services, Education, Arts, Health Care and Government. Andrew is currently a director of MercyCare Ltd and is Chair of the Notre Dame’s Audit and Risk Committee.
Mr John Prendiville	Mr John Prendiville has more than 30 years’ experience in the finance sector. John is currently Chair of the private wealth advice and stock broking firm, Wilsons Holdings. John is Chair of the ASX listed, Smartgroup Corporation Limited, and member of the IT/Innovation Sub-Committee, and is a director of the rapidly growing SME working capital and trade finance lender, Shift (formerly GetCapital Pty Limited). John is a former member of the Investment Committee of the Melbourne based fund manager, River Capital Limited, a Non-Executive Director of ECA Australia, a privately owned tertiary education institution, a former Non-Executive Director of the privately owned Global Advanced Metals Limited and former Non-Executive Director of the telecommunications service provider, 1300 Australia Limited. Previously, John held numerous senior roles at Macquarie Group, where he worked until 2011. John has a BSc (Hons Astrophysics) from RMC Duntroon, and an MBA from the University of Western Australia and The Institute for International Finance in Japan. John is the Chair of Notre Dame’s Finance and Investment Committee.
Mr Jack de Groot	Mr de Groot is currently the Executive Director, Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Parramatta, and is an experienced Senior Executive in the not-for-profit sector. He is also a director of St John of God Healthcare Australia. Prior, Jack was CEO for Caritas Australia, one of the world’s largest social services and community development organisations. Jack was also formally the CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW. Jack is the Vice President Finance of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), the peak body for Australia’s international aid and development agencies. He has also been a member of the Aid Advisory Council to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Jack was a member of the Expert Panel to Review the Australian Aid program in 2019-20. He was the Vice President Finance of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), the peak body for Australia’s international aid and development agencies. He has also been a member of the Aid Advisory Council to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. He has been President of the International Advocacy Committee of Caritas Internationalis and Chair of the Board ofJesuit Mission.
Mr Richard Haddock AO	Mr Haddock began his professional life as a Lawyer with Blake Dawson Waldron and went on to become Deputy General Manager at BNP Paribas. He is currently Chair of St Vincent’s Curran Foundation, Catholic Care Sydney, Investment Committee Sydney Archdiocese, and Trustees of Mary Aikenhead Ministries. He is also a member of the Archdiocesan Ecclesiastical and Civic Honours Committee. Formerly Richard was the Chair of Australian Catholic Superannuation and Retirement Fund, and the Sisters of Charity Foundation. He was also a Director of Catholic Church Insurances and used to sit on the Finance Council of Sydney Archdiocese and the Board of Aid to the Church in Need. Richard is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Australian Institute of Management, the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, and a member of the Law Society of NSW.
Professor Sandra Harding AO	Emeritus Professor Sandra Harding AO, currently a Non-Executive Director, was the Vice-Chancellor and President of James Cook University (JCU), a position held from January 2007 until her retirement in February 2022. As Vice Chancellor, Professor Harding was responsible for ensuring clear and effective leadership and management of the University across all operating sites, including campuses in Townsville, Cairns, and Singapore. Prior to her appointment as Vice Chancellor, Professor Harding had served in senior executive roles at Queensland University of Technology since 1997, including as DVC (International and Development) and (executive) Dean of the Faculty of Business. During her tenure as Vice-Chancellor and President at JCU, Professor Harding undertook many leadership and advisory roles in support of higher education national and international policy development and action. From 2009 to 2015, Professor Harding was a member of the Board of Universities Australia (UA), the peak body for the university sector in Australia, and served as Chair of UA from May 2013 to May 2015. She has also served as Chair of the Innovative Research Universities group, and as the inaugural Chair of the Queensland Vice-Chancellors Committee from May 2020 to December 2021. Other notable appointments within the business community, government and the higher education sector have included: Chair, University Sector Review Panel (WA); Director, North Queensland Cowboys NRL club; Council Member, the Australian Institute of Marine Science; Chair, Independent Assessment Panel examining the quality of the 2016 and 2021 Australian Population Census data; Director, Australian American Education Leadership Foundation; Director, Westpac Bicentennial Foundation Board; Director of Townsville Enterprise and of Advance Cairns (regional economic development bodies); Member, Tourism Trade and Investment Policy Advisory Committee; Member, Australia China Council; Governor of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA); Co-Vice Chair, the New Colombo Plan Reference Group; Commissioner, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); Director of the Global Foundation for Management Education Ltd (Montreal); Board member of Skills Queensland; Australia’s representative on the University Grants Commission for the University of the South Pacific; Chair of the Australian Statistics Advisory Council; Board member of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council; Member, Australian research Council Advisory Committee; Commissioner of Independent Audit of Queensland Government finances (2012); Councillor, Queensland Futures Institute; Member of the HIH Assessment Review Panel; Chair, Brisbane Marketing Pty Ltd; Chair, Class B Members, Mater Misericordiae Health Services (Brisbane) Pty. Ltd; Director of the Australian Institute for Commercialisation; and; Inaugural President, Australian Business Deans Council. Educated at the Australian National University, The University of Queensland, and North Carolina State University (USA), Professor Harding is an economic sociologist, her areas of enduring academic interest include organisation survey methodology, markets and how they work and public policy in two key areas: education policy and related areas; and the global Tropics, northern Australia and economic development. In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly voted without dissent to declare 29 June as the UN International Day of the Tropics, recognising the significance of the tropical nations of the world and the work undertaken by the State of the Tropics project convened by Professor Harding and resulting in the inaugural State of the Tropics Report launched by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on 29 June 2014. In 2010 Professor Harding was awarded an honorary doctorate by Japan’s Josai International University for services to education. In 2012, Professor Harding was recognized as an Honorary Fellow of the Australian College of Educators (ACE) and was named the ACE 2012 Queensland Medallist “… in recognition of her leadership of education in the tropics that has seen a new academic emphasis on life and the people of the tropics.” In 2022, QUT formally recognised Professor Harding’s contribution to Australian higher education, conferring upon her the award of Honorary Doctor of the University. In January 2019, Professor Harding was recognised as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to education at the national and international level, and to the community of Queensland. Professor Harding is a Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Professor Harding’s current appointments include Director, Unisuper; Chair, North Queensland Airport Group; Director, Regional Australia Institute; Director, Cowboys Community Foundation; Member, Board of Governors of the Queensland Community Foundation (Queensland Gives); and; Patron, Institute for Strategic Leadership (Australia). Professor Harding is a member of Notre Dame’s Remuneration and People & Culture Committee.
Ms Rebbecca Kerr	Rebbecca Kerr is a Senior Technology Executive with a Global Mining company and has been a member of the University of Notre Dame Audit & Risk committee since September 2021. With over 25 years’ Technology experience, Rebbecca has strong foundations in technology and operations having held both corporate and consulting roles for complex organisations of different scale, scope and complexity. Her experience spans strategy, cyber, commercial management (including large scale offshoring), technology architecture and IT and OT operations. Her diverse career includes working with originations in agriculture, financial services and she has consulting experience in education, government and transport. She has worked across State, Australian based and Global organisations. Rebbecca is a Graduate of the AICD and a member of the St John of God Healthcare Digital and Technology Advisory Council.

Board of Directors sub-committees
- Audit and Risk Committee
  - Charter
  - Contact: undasecretariat@nd.edu.au
- Finance and Investment Committee
  - Charter
  - Contact: undasecretariat@nd.edu.au
- Remuneration and People & Culture Committee
  - Charter
  - Contact: undasecretariat@nd.edu.au
- Engagement Advisory Committee
  - Charter
  - Contact: undasecretariat@nd.edu.au

Board of Trustees membership

The Board of Trustees is responsible for protecting and preserving the Catholic Objects and nature of the University; for electing the Chancellor and Deputy Chancellor; and for appointing the Directors and Governors.

Subject to the Act, the Canonical Proclamation and Statutes, the Board of Trustees' responsibilities include: protecting and preserving the Catholic objects and nature of the University; appointing members of the Board of Directors and Board of Governors and determining the terms and conditions of appointment of the Vice Chancellor.

Membership

Hon. Christopher Ellison	Chancellor. Former Senator & Commonwealth Government Minister
Mr Michael L’Estrange AO	Deputy Chancellor
Professor Francis Campbell	Vice Chancellor
Mr Michael Digges	Business Manager, Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney
Mr Tony Howarth	Chair, Alinta Energy Pty Ltd and BWP Trust
Hon. Justice Robert Mazza	Judge, Supreme Court of Western Australia
Ms Rebecca Davies	Director: Defence Health Ltd, Catholic Healthcare Ltd, Medtech Actuator, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Transparency International Australia and National Heart Foundation.
The Most Rev Richard Umbers	Auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney
Ms Anne Pitos	Former Principal, Iona Presentation College
Sr Susanna Edmunds, OP	Trinity Catholic College, University of Sydney Catholic Chaplaincy, Seminary of the Good Shepherd, Homebush
Mr Daniel Lynch	Executive Director, Office of the Archbishop (Perth)

Board of Governors membership

The Board of Governors comprises the Trustees and other people appointed by the Trustees. Its function is to provide advice and support to the Board of Directors.