Alison Watkins Q&A

Alumna Alison Watkins (1980) is the first permanent female Chancellor in the 130-year history of the University of Tasmania.

Alison grew up on a farm in regional Tasmania, and attended St Michael’s Collegiate in Hobart before studying Commerce at the University of Tasmania.

Alison has been the CEO of major Australian businesses, including ASX-listed companies GrainCorp Limited and Coca-Cola Amatil Limited. The mother of four also has significant board and governance experience with large Australian companies and not-for-profit organisations. She is currently a board member of the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Why did you accept the role of Chancellor?

I felt very honoured to be approached as part of the search process for the position.

Happily, it came at a time of my life and career when I was in a position to devote time and energy to an organisation that aligns so well with my own values.

Many of the wonderful things in my life happened as a result of my upbringing and my education. I feel this is a real opportunity to give back to my home State and my university.

How will you approach your role leading the Council, the University’s peak governing body?

In my experience, there are themes which contribute to whether boards and management teams are functioning well or not. That includes how aligned people are around mission, the level of trust and respect that exists within the group, that people have a learning mindset, and that we are very clear on building and looking after our relationship with our community.

The Council has an important role to play in making sure overall direction for the University is clear, and in supporting the Vice-Chancellor and executive to execute that successfully. Those are the things I will be thinking about as I’m settling into the role.

Something I found very appealing about this opportunity is how clear the University is about wanting to operate in a way which supports Tasmania and, from here, make a contribution to the world. That’s an inspiring mission and I am very much looking forward to being part of it.

What are your top priorities coming into the role?

We have a very experienced Council, Vice-Chancellor and executive, with a clear strategy. I want to acknowledge the work of Michael Field who, after eight years as Chancellor, leaves this institution well prepared for the challenges and opportunities ahead.

My focus in the first instance will be to listen and learn and to ensure the Council continues to provide strong support to our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rufus Black, and his team in delivering on that strategy.

Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of everyone in recent years, our University is very well-placed, but we do have some challenges to navigate in the years ahead.

You are the first permanent female Chancellor in the history of our University. What does that mean to you?

In my career I’ve seen significant positive change in leadership roles across all sectors on gender and other forms of diversity. There’s more to do and I’m excited to be part of that change continuing.

There’s a lot of truth to the saying, “If you can’t see me, you can’t be me” and I hope for young women, in particular, I can play some role in shaping their career and leadership aspirations.

Universities have been operating in an uncertain world recently. How is the University placed?

Our University is in a very strong position. Enrolments in Tasmania and interstate have strengthened. Despite travel restrictions, we still have a good number of international students studying online.

The University has a strong balance sheet. That’s not to say there won’t be challenges in the years ahead, but we will meet them from very solid ground with good strategies in place to address them.

Of course, we look forward to welcoming our international students back when travel restrictions ease and the challenge of COVID-19 is met.

Chancellor Alison Watkins tours IMAS in Hobart with PhD candidate, and recipient of the Dr Joan Woodberry Postgraduate Fellowship in Engineering or Bioscience, Ellie Paine.