Corporate governance

Stephen Brady joined TAFE NSW as Managing Director in December 2021. He has more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership in private and public sectors, including across a diverse range of NSW government agencies.

Prior to joining TAFE NSW, Stephen held Deputy Secretary roles in NSW Treasury, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Revenue NSW, and most recently, he was the Chief Operating Officer of the NSW Department of Customer Service.

Steve's senior executive career includes driving public sector innovation through a focus on customer and community, working with industry to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, enhancing the economic contribution of agencies, and delivering strong financial stewardship.

In his current role as Managing Director, Stephen is responsible for ensuring TAFE NSW is the leading provider of vocational training supporting the evolving needs of industry and learners in a rapidly changing economy.

Danny O'Connor served as the Chief Executive of Western Sydney Local Health District from 2011 to 2019 and Chief Executive of Western New South Wales Area Health Service from 2009 to 2010. He has extensive experience in government and public administration, with a focus on stakeholder management in health services.

Danny is involved in initiatives to improve healthcare experiences, achieve efficiency and productivity through technology adoption, foster collaboration between public and private providers, and advocate for health policy in urban design.

Jessie Borthwick returns to TAFE NSW with extensive experience in senior management leadership roles, particularly in funding and regulation of vocational and higher education. Most recently Jessie was Principal with Nous Group and Head of Public Policy. Prior to this, Jessie held the position of Deputy Secretary, Department of Education, Australian Government where she was responsible for higher education, research and international education. She is an experienced and well-respected relationship manager across government and the higher education sector. Jessie has worked in a broad range of tertiary education organisations including the Australian National University. She started her career in vocational education at TAFE NSW in 1988.

Katrina Troughton is the Vice President and Managing Director for Adobe ANZ.

With deep global experience in technology business leadership within diverse markets and leading diverse teams, Katrina has held a variety of international roles, including Managing Director of IBM Australia and New Zealand, General Manager for IBM New Zealand, and Vice President of Data and Analytics solutions for IBM Asia Pacific, based in Shanghai. It was her time working at IBM’s headquarters in New York, leading a global team focused on HR solutions to support new ways of working, that cemented Katrina’s keen interest in the importance of skills and driving skills transformation at scale.

Katrina is a passionate advocate of IBM’s Pathways in Technology education program (P-TECH), which supports future skills development and new pathways into technology careers for tertiary students. In 2020, she was the executive sponsor supporting the launch of IBM’s SkillsBuild Program with SoldierOn Australia, an initiative to help Australian defence personnel and veterans re-skill and pivot towards careers in technology, including cyber security.

Katrina has board and advisory experience, serving on the UniServices board at the University of Auckland, chairing the New Zealand Digital Advisory Board, and helping to establish its Global Women Leadership Development program.

Katrina lives in Sydney with her husband and three boys, who ensure all “down time” remains busy and fun.

Isaiah is the CEO of ID. Know Yourself, the first Aboriginal-led organisation delivering one-on-one mentoring and support coordination to Aboriginal children and young people in contact with the out of home care and juvenile justice systems within New South Wales.

As the founder and CEO of ID. Know Yourself, Isaiah is determined to impact the lives of the 22,000 Aboriginal children in out of home care. The organisation’s purpose is to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and disadvantage, by establishing belonging, discovering purpose, and empowering positive choices.

Isaiah was a finalist in the 2019 NSW/ACT Channel 7 Young Achiever Awards and the winner of the 2017 TAFE NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year. He was also the first Indigenous person to be awarded TAFE NSW Graduate of the Year.

Isaiah has represented his community at the National Indigenous Youth Parliament, bringing home the major award of ‘Positive Influencer’ and was chosen by the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples to represent Australia at the International Visitors Leadership Program in America. Isaiah has also been selected to attend the World Indigenous Business Conference in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Isaiah believes that “it doesn’t matter what you know, what matters is what you do.”

Alison Mirams is the founding Chief Executive Officer of Roberts Co, and is deeply passionate about addressing the systemic issues that exist in the construction industry. Throughout her 25 years of experience working in the construction industry, Alison has been constantly striving to attract and retain more women within the industry.

Before establishing Roberts Co, Alison led the NSW/ACT regional business unit for Lendlease’s building business, for nearly three years. And prior to joining Lendlease, Alison enjoyed a successful 16-year career at Multiplex, rising from Contracts Administrator to Regional Director.

Alison received the Laing O’Rourke Business Woman of the Year award at the 2018 NAWIC NSW Awards for Excellence. She is also a member of the NSW PCA Division Council, a Director of the UNSW Foundation Board, a member of the Advisory Board for Aero PM. In addition to those roles, Alison also chairs the Advisory Council for the UNSW Faculty of Arts, Design, and Architecture.

Adam Liaw is a cook, writer and broadcaster.

Following a legal career across both Australia and Asia, most recently with ‘The Walt Disney Company’, Adam is now a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Sunday Life Magazine, and has written seven cookbooks. He is a former columnist for The Wall Street Journal’s Scene Asia.

Adam is the host of several television series, including the AACTA award-winning ‘Destination Flavour’, and ‘The Cook Up’ with Adam Liaw.

Adam is also a board member of the Australia-Japan Foundation and the Museum of Chinese in Australia. In 2016, the Japanese government appointed Adam as an official Goodwill Ambassador for Japanese Cuisine. Adam is also UNICEF Australia’s national ambassador for nutrition, and an ambassador of the ‘Australia Now’ program for the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Dr Geoff Newcombe was the Chief Executive of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW from 2005-2022. He has had extensive experience in school management and finance, having held positions of Head and Business Manager in a number of Independent Schools.

He is Chair of the Non-Government Schools Superannuation Fund (NGS Super) and chairs the Fund’s Nomination and Appointment Committee and serves on the HR, Remuneration and Governance Committee and the Investment Committee.

Dr Newcombe was appointed to the NSW Government’s Study NSW International Education Advisory Board in 2014 and served on the Board of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) from 2017 to 2022. He is currently a member of the Board of Dymocks Children’s Charities and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Department of Education, Western Australia.

In December 2018 he was appointed to the Board of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and now chairs the Finance and Audit Committee.

In June 2017, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to education and educational organisations, in particular the Independent School Sector.

In November 2019, he received the NSW Sir Harold Wyndham Medal, the highest award given by the Australian College of Educators NSW.

Murat Dizdar PSM is the Acting Secretary of the NSW Department of Education, which delivers quality education and training services for the people of New South Wales. This includes the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector, government and non-government schools, and the Vocational Education and Training sector.

Murat’s career began as a social sciences teacher at Ashcroft High School. He has experience in a range of school leadership roles, including senior principal of Belmore and Punchbowl Boys High Schools.

Prior to commencing as Acting Secretary, Murat co-led the School Performance division. This team provides support to 95,000 teachers and school leaders – across more than 2,200 schools – to deliver a high-quality education for more than 790,000 students.

Murat presided over the Bushfire Strategy that supported communities devastated by the 2019/2020 fires, as well as the Connected Communities directorate that strengthens the educational outcomes for Aboriginal students.

Murat holds a Bachelor of Education (Secondary Humanities) majoring in Economics and Geography from the University of Sydney, and has undertaken a ‘Leadership for the 21st Century’ course at Harvard Kennedy School. He currently serves as Adjunct Professor in the School of Education at Western Sydney University.

He was awarded the Australia Day Public Service Medal in 2016, an Australian Council of Educational Leaders (ACEL) NSW Fellowship in 2019, an ACEL National Fellowship in 2020 and the Nanga Mai Department of Education and NSW AECG Inc Partnership Award 2021.

Murat is also a proud graduate of the NSW public education system. He never forgets the impact that Mr Griffiths, Ms Johanson, Mr Baker and Mr Sturm had on his life as a young student at Fort Street High School.

Stephen Brady joined TAFE NSW as Managing Director in December 2021. Steve has more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership in private and public sectors, including across a diverse range of NSW government agencies.

Prior to joining TAFE NSW, Steve held Deputy Secretary roles in NSW Treasury, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Revenue NSW, and most recently, he was the Chief Operating Officer of the NSW Department of Customer Service.

The hallmarks of Steve’s senior executive career include driving public sector innovation through a focus on customer and community, working with industry to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, enhancing the economic contribution of agencies and delivering strong financial stewardship.

In his current role as Acting Managing Director, Steve is responsible for ensuring TAFE NSW is the leading provider of vocational training supporting the evolving needs of industry and learners in a rapidly changing economy.

Julie is the Chief People and Culture Officer.
 
She joined TAFE NSW in 2002 as a teacher and has gained a wealth of experience in the Vocational Education and Training sector.

Before joining TAFE NSW Julie was the leader of fast-paced, high-volume teams in the sales, training, and development functions at Footlocker Inc.

Prior to her current TAFE NSW role as Chief People and Culture Officer, Julie has worked in a number of leadership roles with the organisation including, acting General Manager of People and Safety, and the Head of Organisational Development and Talent Management.

In her role as Chief People and Culture Officer, Julie oversees the development and continuation of a capable, engaged, and adaptable workforce.

She is responsible for ensuring TAFE NSW operates in a safe, diverse, and inclusive work environment.  

Julie’s team ensures TAFE NSW has the capability to deliver the best outcomes through effective people and safety processes, policies, and programs.

Janet Schorer joined TAFE NSW as Chief Delivery Officer in 2022 and brings a wealth of knowledge from decades in the public sector. Janet has responsibility for the team overseeing end-to-end accountability for students from enrolment to graduation.

Janet has a track record in leading educational and community transformation programs including the NDIS workforce strategy and the Families NSW strategy. Beginning her career as a registered nurse, and earning qualifications in child and adolescent psychology, her passion for children and young people was most recently been put to good use in her role as the NSW Children’s Guardian in the Office of the Children’s Guardian. Janet also led the NSW transition into the National Disability Insurance Scheme at the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Her experience improving customer and client experience positions her well to lead initiatives that will deliver exceptional learner experiences as part of the TAFE NSW Strategic Plan 2022-25.

Doctor Margot McNeill joined TAFE NSW in December 2020 as Chief Product and Quality Officer.

As Chief Product and Quality Officer Margot oversees the development of innovative, quality and digitally-enabled products, and aligning courses to the changing needs of industry.

Margot has more than 30 years’ experience across the education sector, from universities and vocational education in Australia and New Zealand.

Prior to joining TAFE NSW Margot was the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Learning and Teaching at the International College of Management. In this role she was responsible for overseeing quality assurance, innovation, and product development.

Margot’s career has included being Head of Learning and Teaching Transformation at Navitas, Consultant Online Learning Advisor at the University of Western Sydney, a Director at Think Education, Senior Manager of Learning and Teaching Enhancement at the University of New South Wales, a Senior Lecturer at Macquarie University and a Senior Education Officer at OTEN.

Gabrielle joined TAFE NSW as the Director of Media and Communications in 2017.

She has extensive experience directing internal and external communications, and managing stakeholder engagement and advocacy programs for listed corporations and government agencies.

Prior to joining TAFE NSW, Gabrielle oversaw communications for Optus Singtel and Network Ten, and worked in a number of public policy and advisory roles with The NSW Cabinet Office, and the NSW Department of Education and Training.

Gabrielle is a highly skilled media spokesperson, with expertise in issues management, crisis communications, and proactive public relations campaigns.

Patrick joined TAFE NSW as Chief Operating Officer in 2022 and brings a wealth of knowledge from decades in the education sector.

Patrick was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President at the University of Technology, where helped create and implement the university’s business plan, delivered a Campus Master Plan, and improved the organisation’s strategic and operational resilience.

As Chief Operating Officer, Patrick will lead our Shared Services Group and drive the implementation of several cross-functional initiatives that are critical to the success of our new Strategic Plan. Patrick will focus on ensuring we align our infrastructure, finance, procurement, governance, legal, and risk operations to support the skills needs of our customers to help build a stronger NSW.

Fiona Rankin joined TAFE NSW as Chief Information Officer in 2022, bringing with her extensive experience in both the public and private sectors.

Fiona has worked in the higher education, finance, and technology sectors – most recently as the Chief Information Officer at the University of Wollongong. Fiona has a strong track record working in large complex organisations to deliver digital transformation projects.

Fiona is passionate about building high performing technology teams and is a welcome addition to the TAFE NSW Executive Leadership Team.