Simon Evans

Summary

I served as the University of New England's Interim Vice Chancellor and CEO from August 2022 to July 2023, proudly leading Australia's oldest regional university, based in Armidale NSW. In my substantive role as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, since January 2022, I was responsible for the academic activities of the University, leading a division that includes the three Faculties, and the divisions responsible for Student Experience, Brand Partnerships & Business Development, Education Futures and Indigenous affairs. In my previous role as Provost of the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce, La Trobe University, I lead a division with 400 staff, 16,000 students, revenue exceeding $240m and managed expenditure of over $90m. I am responsible for the College’s research and teaching performance, budget, strategy, risk and culture. Prior to this, as Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) at the University of Melbourne, I was responsible for international strategy and international partnerships. I am driven by the contribution I can make as a senior executive leader in public and public-spirited organisations. In particular, as a University leader, I am passionate about ensuring my academic colleagues have the space and the supports to advance the frontiers of knowledge through their research and to change students’ lives through their teaching. I have particular focus on strategy and performance – and the cultural underpinnings of high performance. I currently serve as Executive Sponsor of La Trobe’s Senior Leadership Group and chair the New Ways of Working Group, seeking to transform how we work post-pandemic. My professional background is as a constitutional lawyer. (My initial qualifications in maths and computer science also continue to underpin strength in data and technology as an executive leader.) I was recognised as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law in 2018. Until I moved to NSW in January 2022, I was a member of the Academic Course Appraisal Committee of the Victorian Legal Admission Board, responsible for evaluating whether legal education programs adequately prepare students for practice. I was a member of the Executive of the Australian Association of Constitutional Law for eight years. At Melbourne Law School, I was Deputy Dean, Director of the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies and Director of Teaching. I was a national finalist in the Australian Awards for University Teaching in 2005 and a Universitas 21 Teaching Fellow in 2006-7.