University Council

Ms Elisa Fear is an experienced non-executive director with high level financial skills and expertise. She is currently a non-executive director of the Good Samaritan Industries and Financial Toolbox Inc; and a member of the Board of Western Power.

Ms Fear is the Chair of the Financial Toolbox Women At Risk committee, a group seeking to provide financial and other information for women facing domestic violence whose activities include the development of Your Toolkit, a comprehensive web based resource for women facing domestic violence and financial abuse.

Ms Fear has a Bachelor of Commerce, Masters of Business Administration and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mr Damian Gordon is an Executive Director of the Hawaiian Group. He is a former Director of Amana Living and of Youth Focus.

Mr Gordon is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia & New Zealand with high level financial skills and expertise. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment. Mr Gordon is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has completed the LEAP Program at INSEAD.

Ms Catherine Clark is the University Librarian and Director, John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library. In this role, she leads the University’s library and learning skills services across all of Curtin’s learning, teaching and research community. She has responsibility for library spaces at the Western Australian campuses and for providing advice about library services to Curtin’s campuses in Dubai, Malaysia, Mauritius and Singapore.

Additional leadership roles include as an active member of the Council of Australian University Librarians through membership of the CAUL Board and as the Program Director for the Fair, Affordable and Open Access to Knowledge Program. Other professional activities include as a Member of the Library Board of Western Australia and Chair of the Board’s Policy and Legislation Committee. Previous roles have included Chair of the Libraries of the ATN Universities Executive Group, and Foundation Faculty Member of the Australian Evidence Based Practice Librarians’ Institute.

In 2017, Ms Clark was awarded the Association for Tertiary Education Management’s LH Martin Institute Award for Excellence in Leadership. Ms Clark has Bachelor of Arts from Murdoch University, Master of Information Management from Curtin University and Graduate Certificate in Public Health from the University of Western Australia and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mr Terry Agnew is a highly experienced CEO and non-executive director. He has worked across a range of industries including insurance, financial services, travel and tourism, education, disability and care and membership organisations.

Mr Agnew was the Group CEO of RAC WA for 20 years.

Mr Agnew is the current Chair of the Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals and Edge Employment Solutions (a disability employment service). He is also a Director of RAA Insurance, HCF, Infrastructure WA and MDA National Insurance, and was a Founding Member of CEOs for Gender Equity. He also Chairs the Expert Advisory Panel of the AAA Road Safety Research Program and is on the Advisory Board of Future Green Solutions.

Mr Agnew is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia (Finsia) and Member of the Australian Institute of Engineers.

Mr Agnew was educated in Adelaide, Perth and Boston and his qualifications include MBA, M.Sc., B.E. (Hons) and the Harvard AMP. He is also an Honorary Doctor of Curtin University.

Dr Andrew Crane has over 30 years’ experience in agriculture, food processing and international trade. He has held executive positions in Marketing, Trading, Manufacturing, Strategy & Business Development and most recently as CEO of the CBH Group.

He is currently non-executive Director on the Boards of Rice Growers Ltd (SunRice), RAC Holdings Ltd and Macquarie Asset Management Boards of Viridis Ag Pty Ltd, and Cubbie Ag and The Committee for Perth. He was former non-executive Director of Interflour Pte Ltd and former Chairman of the Business Council of Co Operatives and Mutuals.

Dr Crane holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies, a PhD in Remote Sensing of Agriculture and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Directors.

Dr Vanessa Guthrie is a highly accomplished executive and Non-Executive Director with broad and strategic experience across a portfolio of Board positions.

Deputy Chair and Lead Independent Director of Adbri Ltd, and serves as a Director on the boards of Santos Limited, Tronox Holdings PLC, Lynas Rare Earths Limited and Cricket Australia.

Substantial experience in the mining industry in diverse roles including operations, environment, community, indigenous affairs and corporate development and sustainability.

Active Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), Chief Executive Women, and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE).

Qualifications in geology, environment, law and business management, including a Doctor of Philosophy in Geology and an Honorary Doctor of Science from Curtin University.

Mr David Southam is a senior business executive and company director of ASX listed and private enterprises spanning a range of industries including Resources, Logistics, Technology, Contracting, Industrials and Banking.

Until August 2022, Mr Southam was Managing Director of a Battery Metals company having overseen the company from a junior explorer into a producer of a metal critical for the electric vehicle car industry. He is also Non-Executive Director of publicly listed entities, and brings a wealth of experience and perspectives from the Boardroom, ranging from leading operations, communication with domestic/ international institutional investors and other stakeholders, to being an Audit Committee Chairman and Nomination & Remuneration Committee Chairman.

As a leader, and part of a team, he has executed significant corporate transactions including substantial divestments and acquisitions into both private equity and small to large ASX corporations. In addition, he has executed material capital market transactions, directed operational enterprises, reset and developed strategic plans and negotiated many billion-dollar sales contracts. This background has involved specific global mandates, including Europe, UK, China, Japan, Korea, USA and Canada.

Mr Southam has a Bachelor of Commerce (with Distinction) from Curtin University and is a Fellow Certified Practicing Accountant (FCPA) and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD).

Dale Pinto is a Professor of Taxation Law at Curtin University’s Law School in Western Australia and Chair of Curtin’s Academic Board. He currently serves on the Council of Curtin University and is also the elected Academic Representative for Curtin on the UniSuper Consultative Committee.

He is the author/co-author of numerous books, refereed articles and national and international conference papers, and is on the editorial board of a number of peer reviewed journals as well as being the Editor-in-Chief of several refereed journals including being Co-Editor of the A-ranked Australian Tax Review. Dale is a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) and a Chartered Accountant (CA) as well as being a Fellow of CPA Australia (FCPA). He has been a member of CPA Australia’s Centre of Tax Excellence and Past President of the WA Division of CPA Australia and is currently a CPA Board member and National Deputy President. He is the Immediate Past Chair of the Taxation Institute’s Education Quality Assurance Board (EQAB) and is a member of TEQSA’s Expert Panel in accounting, taxation and international education. Dale served as an inaugural member of the National Tax Practitioners Board and is a current member of the Board of Taxation’s High Level Advisory Panel and the ATO’s Public Advice Guidance Panel. Dale is also an Executive Member of the Australian Branch of the International Tax Policy Think Tank, the International Fiscal Association (IFA) and has been a Member of CCIWA’s Economic Development Forum.

Dale is a Life Member of the Australasian Tax Teachers Association (ATTA) and also the Australasian Law Teachers Association (ALTA) and is an Honorary Life Member of the Taxation Institute and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law (FAAL), which is the fifth learned Academy of Australia which only admits “persons of exceptional distinction in the discipline of law who are demonstrably committed to the objects of the Academy.” Members of the Academy include members drawn from parts of the legal community, including academia, the practising profession (including private and public sectors), and the judiciary including former Chief Justice Robert Shenton French AC.

Professor Harlene Hayne was appointed Vice-Chancellor of Curtin University in April 2021, having previously been the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago in New Zealand.

Professor Hayne received a Bachelor of Arts from Colorado College, and a Master of Science and PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience from Rutgers University. She joined the University of Otago in 1992, ultimately becoming Vice-Chancellor in 2011.

Professor Hayne is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and of the Association for Psychological Science. In 2009 she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to scientific and medical research, and in 2012 received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Colorado College, USA.

Professor Hayne is a former Chair of Universities New Zealand, Te Pōkai Tara, the peak bdy for the country’s universities. She also chaired the Universities New Zealand Research Committee and has been a member of the Board of Treasury and the Board of Fulbright New Zealand.

Professor Hayne has published widely in the area of memory development and adolescent risk taking, and has supervised numerous PhD, Master and undergraduate Honours theses. She was the Associate Editor of Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Memory, the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, and the New Zealand Journal of Psychology and is a member of the Editorial Board of Infant Behaviour and Development and of Developmental Psychobiology.

Professor Julia Richardson is the Head of the School of Management and Marketing in the Faculty of Business and Law, at Curtin. Professor Richardson is an internationally recognised expert in Careers and Human Resources Management and former chair of the Careers Division of the Academy of Management. She has enjoyed a global career in both the private and public sectors in the UK, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand and Canada. Professor Richardson is a member of the New Zealand Expert Business Performance Panel working with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and Associate Editor of two top tier academic journals. She has also won multiple awards for her research and teaching.

Professor Richardson’s current research examines ‘The future of careers’, career sustainability, flexible work practices, work performance and well-being, and work-life balance. A ‘first in family’ to attend University she is committed to equity in access to learning, particularly for regional, remote and rural communities. She has also served as a Board Member on not-for-profit boards supporting victims of domestic abuse.

Post Nominals: BSc(Hons) (Glamorgan, UK), MA (Manchester, UK), PhD (Otago, NZ)

Ms Kim Gibson is a Physiotherapy graduate who has enjoyed more than 35 years in the health industry experiencing physiotherapy practice, clinical education, clinical governance, health professional regulation, health service management, governance and reform. She has a diverse work history that has taken her from Perth to regional WA, Switzerland, Egypt and the UK working in public, private, community and hospital settings.

Her ties to Curtin have continued since graduation in roles including clinical educator, sessional academic and project consultant across many of the health sciences. Her current focus is on bringing both work experience and governance expertise to several Board roles including Chair of the Physiotherapy Board of Australia and Deputy Chair, South Metropolitan Health Service Board.

Kim holds a Master of Arts in Public Sector Leadership, is a Fellow of the Australian College of Health Service Management and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Samantha Hall has a long standing professional and learning relationship with Curtin. She completed her first business degree with the University and later returned for a career shift into environmental science and sustainability. Samantha’s academic research focused on health and sustainability impacts of the built environment. For her postdoctoral studies she led an industry based project evaluating evidence-based design approaches for healthy buildings.

She left academia after progressing through Curtin’s innovation pipeline and now has a successful business in the Higher Education estates and property sector. She works with universities globally on improving student and campus experience. Her work has been recognised with several awards – Curtin Innovation, WA Innovator of the Year Finalist, AMP Change Maker and 40 Under 40.

Qualifications: B.Comm, MsC, PhD, Post-doctorate, Member WA State Design Review Panel

Dr Kristy Noakes is the Technical Operations Manager, Science in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Dr Noakes is responsible for the leadership and management of the Science technical operations and services portfolio and is accountable for ensuring that these services effectively support teaching, learning and research.

Additional leadership and professional roles have included Business Manager for the Australian Journal of Education in Chemistry, Chairperson of the HSE Committee for the Minerals and Chemistry Precinct, Chair of the Curtin University Chemical Safety Committee, Chair of the Faculty of Science H&S Committee, Chair of the School of Molecular and Life Sciences H&S committee. Dr Noakes is a passionate leader amongst her peers in health and safety, engaging across the University community to ensure the welfare of the staff and students is always in the forefront. Dr Noakes is a founding member of the University Hazardous Materials Technical Advisory Group, which was established to ensure comprehensive engagement across the Curtin community. Dr Noakes is an active participant and leader in her local community, taking on numerous volunteer roles.

Dr Noakes was recipient of the Faculty of Science and Engineering Pro-Vice Chancellor Professional Staff Award. In 2019, Dr Noakes contribution to leadership was acknowledged by co-award of the Vice Chancellors Excellence in Leadership Award for Professional Staff.

Dr Noakes has a Bachelor of Science (Applied Chemistry) and PhD from Curtin University.

Mr Robert Cole has over 35 years’ experience in energy, resources, infrastructure, and the legal profession. He is a former Executive Director of Woodside, Managing Director of Beach Energy and partner-in-charge of Mallesons in Perth.

During his executive career, Mr Cole has had responsibility for strategy, human resources, corporate affairs, internal audit, risk management, marketing, legal, commercial, supply chain, health and safety, environment, security, emergency management and company secretariat, as well as overall management responsibility in his managing director and partner-in-charge roles.

He is currently a non-executive director of public and private sector companies in various industries. He is Chair of two ASX-listed companies – Iluka and Perenti Global, and Chair of two Government Trading Entities – Synergy and Landgate. In the not-for-profit sector he is a non-executive director of St Bart’s. He is also a former Chair of Southern Ports and GLX Digital.

Mr Cole holds Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the Australian National University. He has also completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.