Ms Saveria Dimasi, currently Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the University of Queensland, has been appointed to the new role of Vice-President University Services and Strategy, a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group.

This role replaces the Chief Operating Officer role and has been reshaped, with a new portfolio covering core University corporate services, including: Property, IT, Risk, Data and Analytics, Sustainability, commercial entities such as U@MQ, MGSM Hospitality, as well as University-wide strategy coordination and execution.

The Chief Financial Officer and Director, Human Resources will continue to report directly to the Vice-Chancellor.

Ms Dimasi is highly experienced in the Higher Education sector and, in her role at the University of Queensland, supports the management of professional services and implementation of the capital planning framework and transformation processes.  She also coordinates and oversees interdisciplinary teams to plan and deliver major strategic cross-divisional projects.

Prior to University of Queensland she held senior leadership roles at the University of Melbourne spanning almost 16 years including General Counsel, Executive Director, Project Services and Interim Vice-Principal of Policy and Projects. As Executive Director, Project Services, she led four large teams responsible for planning, managing and delivering a project portfolio of construction and IT projects in excess of $250 million per annum.

Ms Dimasi has also worked as an economist and in law, first in private practice and then in-house as legal counsel for Alcoa of Australia and General Counsel for Holden Australia. She has a BA (Econ Hons), LLB and Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne.

“As we move into the next phase of our evolution we are looking for visionary leaders to ensure we are fit-for-purpose for the next 50 years, delivering what the student of today needs from a university,” says Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton. “This critical role plays a huge part in our ability to deliver a range of key services to our students, our staff and in their engagement with other stakeholders.  I look forward to working closely with Saveria.”

Ms Dimasi says, “I was attracted to the role for a number of reasons, including Macquarie’s reputation as a disruptor, the Vice-Chancellor’s clear vision for the University, as well as the strong, cohesive leadership team. This role not only brings together areas where I have skills and experience, but importantly, it aligns with my passion for and belief in the transformational nature of higher education.”

Ms Dimasi will assume her new position on Monday 10 December 2018.