Governance & leadership

UAC governance structure

UAC Board

The Board is UAC’s governing body and is responsible for determining the organisation's strategies for operations and future development. It oversees risks, internal controls and regulatory activities.

The Board is chaired by Professor Denise Kirkpatrick. Its members are drawn from the academic and professional population in the higher education sector. The Board is advised by UAC's Executive team and the Audit Committee, and is accountable to the New South Wales Vice-Chancellors’ Committee for overall company performance.

UAC Executive

	Managing Director Dr David Christie joined UAC in 2015, bringing with him experience from senior roles in different countries and industries across for-profit, not-for-profit and government organisations. The Managing Director provides strategic leadership to the organisation and promotes UAC’s sustainable development and growth. The Managing Director is supported by a team of senior executives.
	Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer Kim Paino has been with UAC since 2002, after an initial career in publishing and time in university communications. Since joining UAC Kim has led the communications, marketing and engagement functions. Now leading Strategy and Engagement, she is responsible for company strategy development, external engagement and government relations, stakeholder management and corporate communications. Kim is also UAC’s media spokesperson.
	Chief People Officer Jennie Edwards has been with UAC since 2004, following roles in the health and hospitality industries. The People and Culture team provides advice and guidance to the organisation on a range of key matters including recruitment, engagement, training and development, industrial relations, compliance and payroll.
	Chief Operations and Products Officer Nerida Bewick has been with UAC since 1999, after an initial career in medical research. The Operations and Products team is responsible for liaising with institutions to develop policies and procedures for admissions, assessing all applications and schemes processed by UAC, responding to applicant queries and using the data UAC generates to drive analytical decision-making and business planning. The team also manages the continued improvement of UAC’s products and services.
	Chief Operating Officer Mary O’Leary joined UAC in 2022, following senior finance and commercial leadership roles in the education, media, financial services and social justice sectors. The Corporate Governance and Finance team holds responsibility for UAC’s financial, governance, legal, risk and facilities management requirements.
	Chief Information Officer Dudley Collinson joined UAC in 2014, after holding senior IT roles in the health, education and financial sectors. The Information Technology team provides infrastructure, system support, application development, project delivery, research and data-related services to UAC's clients and customers.
	Chief Customer and Commercial Officer James Kevin joined UAC in 2018, following senior national and international commercial roles in the media and wagering industries. The Customer and Commercial team has four units – business development, marketing, student engagement and account management. They are focused on delivering a great customer experience for learners and partners, as well as being responsible for driving the company's commercial growth and promoting UAC's products and services throughout Australia.