Strategically Placing an Interim Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor to Oversee Academic Schools and Leadership Initiatives Across a Major Australian University
The Brief
A prominent multi-campus public research university located in Sydney’s Greater Western region needed an interim candidate to take on the responsibilities of the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor role.
This interim role carried broad leadership across twelve academic schools, alongside oversight of the University Secretary and General Counsel. Additionally, the role supported Indigenous Leadership and the University’s cyber strategy.
Increase in General Management Skills
According to the American Management Association, only 14% of businesses consider themselves “well prepared” to handle a sudden loss in senior management. Add to that the fact that it takes at least four months to fill an executive role, and an Interim Executive experienced in operations makes a lot of sense!
Increase in Customer Experience Skills
These days experience is everything. What truly makes for a good experience? Speed. Convenience. Consistency. Friendliness. And human touch. Our Interim Executives deliver a great experience while improving your customer experience!
Increase in People & Culture Skills
Organisations are constantly changing as they respond to internal and external pressures. Continual process improvement can enable team engagement and lead to growth. Interim Executives bring fresh eyes and effective industry best practice to the execution.
Increase in Data Analytics
Complex challenges require critical thinking and in the age of information-overwhelm it is imperative to have analytical minds at the table. These skills range across finance, data science, systems and more. An Interim Executive can be the right person to optimise your inputs to maximise your output.
The Process
Future Leadership’s Interim Executive team conducted a targeted briefing with the university to identify an immediate solution for the role.
An accelerated search process began, yielding a shortlist of high-quality candidates for review. After careful evaluation, a candidate with the necessary experience and expertise was selected to fill this critical position.
Emerging Capabilities
Academic Governance
Expertise in establishing and managing the rules, practices, and processes that direct academic operations and policies.
Strategic Leadership
Ability to oversee and guide long-term strategy across multiple schools and administrative departments.
Stakeholder Management
Strong skills in building relationships and maintaining effective collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
Indigenous Leadership Support
Commitment to advancing Indigenous representation and initiatives across higher education.
Cyber Strategy Oversight
Experience in supporting the integration of innovative cyber strategies to secure and advance institutional goals.
The Outcome
A former Provost and Vice-Chancellor at a leading university in the Northern Territory and Interim Provost at another Australian public university was appointed to the role.
They brought vast expertise in higher education leadership, ensuring continuity across the university’s key initiatives. Their proven capabilities in stakeholder engagement and governance will enable them to provide the essential support needed for ongoing processes and initiatives, including those led by the Interim Vice-Chancellor.
