As chancellor, Mr Thodey will chair the university’s senate, its highest governing body, a position similar to the chairman of a corporation. He said he looked forward to continuing Ms Hutchinson’s work “in striving to ensure the university is known for creating a world-class teaching and learning environment and a wonderful student experience”.

Mr Thodey comes into the top position at a time when the University of Sydney has emerged ­financially strong from the ­pandemic, after managing to retain its lucrative cohort of Chinese students who studied in their homeland during the period of border ­closures.

The university is by a clear margin the most financially strong Australian university, ­reporting a $1bn surplus in 2021, followed by a $300m surplus in 2022.

University of Sydney vice-chancellor Mark Scott, whose position is effectively CEO of the university, said Mr Thodey was a renowned leader across a broad range of national life. “His career has changed the lives of millions of Australians through telecommunications and digital technologies,” Professor Scott said.

He said Mr Thodey brought to the university “an extraordinary background that demonstrates a commitment to community, innovation and public service – as well as, of course, his extensive leadership and board experience across research, technology and telecommunications”.

Mr Thodey was Telstra CEO from 2009 to 2015 and then chaired the CSIRO board from 2015 to 2021. He chaired the 2019 Australian Public Sector Review and is chair of Ramsay Health Care and accounting technology company Xero.

He signalled he would be focusing on the university’s ability to create valuable applications from fundamental research. “Research translation for real-world impact is what great universities do, and that will continue to be a priority at the university,” he said.

Mr Thodey also said he would pay close attention to people and the composition of the university.

“We know our community thrives through inclusion and diversity and this will also continue to be our focus as we commit to ensuring the success of a greater diversity of students and staff at Sydney,” he said.

Professor Scott thanked Ms Hutchinson for the key leadership role she had played as ­chancellor since 2013, a position that she had performed without remuneration.

“It goes well beyond our campuses, helping us to reach government, donors, business and the broader community,” he said.

“The improvement she has made to the governance of our university cannot be understated. Her vision, hard work and clear focus have been key to our success, making us financially strong, improving risk management and setting us up to become one of Australia’s most successful ­universities.”

Ms Hutchinson said the university campus was now a very different place to when she commenced as chancellor 11 years ago.

“While we have more to achieve, we have made significant strides,” she said.

“Today, women make up over half of our student community. And by focusing on a series of targeted mentoring, sponsorship and network programs, women now represent more than half of our senior executive leaders.”

Live from the foyer of the Universities Australia (UA) Solutions Summit in Canberra, this special episode shares the immediate reactions of tertiary education leaders to the Universities Accord final report.

Featured in this episode are vice-chancellors Deb Terry from the University of Queensland, Renee Leon from Charles Sturt University, Chris Moran from the University of New England, Clare Pollock from Western Sydney University, Simon Biggs from James Cook University, Theo Farrell from La Trobe University and Alex Zelinsky from the University of Newcastle.

Host Martin Betts from HEDx also interviews sector leaders including chief executive of UA Luke Sheehy (pictured), UA former chair John Dewar, higher education commentator Andrew Norton, and others.

The solutions summit ran over two days on February 27 and 28.

How can university leaders promote innovation and growth in a complex multicultural settings while addressing social change with evolving forms of cultural, social and emotional intelligence?

Professor Ghassan Aouad is a Muslim leader and chancellor of Abu Dhabi University in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi University is one of the UAE's leading universities, with over 7000 students of 100 different nationalities.

He talks to HEDx's Martin Betts and Professor Christy Collis of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) about his leadership style.

Prior to taking up his role at Abu Dhabi University, Professor Ghassan Aouad worked at universities across the UK and was president of the University of Wollongong's Dubai campus.

Professor Christy Collis is a counselling researcher and higher education specialist. She is the Queensland treasurer of HERDSA, Australasia's peak professional association for higher education research, and Provost at the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors.

The advisory council is chaired by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the deputy chair is the Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic.

The council is comprised of six scientists, along with Australia's Chief Scientist and the chief executive of CSIRO, and informs and advises the prime minister and government on current science and technology issues.

Professor Bolt is a proud Yuin/Wandandian and Ngarigo man who has studied health science, micro-sociology, business administration, media arts and identity studies; and is passionate about improving education outcomes for Indigenous peoples.

"It is important we look to how western knowledge and Indigenous knowledge can come together to make change, particularly with the challenges Australia and the world are currently facing,” Professor Bolt said.

“There is a lot of wisdom and traditional knowledge in our communities and our scholars.

"However, the key is to find the ways that this knowledge and wisdom can be heard by the right people, at the right time, particularly those that have the power to influence change for the betterment of our communities."

The professor was also the first Indigenous person to graduate with a PhD at the University of Sydney’s faculty of Health Sciences.

He joins the council alongside other new members including Professor Mahananda Dasgupt, a nuclear physics academic from the Australian National University, and Professor Mark Hutchinson, an Australian Research Council Future fellow from the University of Adelaide's School of Biomedicine.

Professor Bolt and Professor Hutchinson will fill immediate vacancies, joining Professor Genevieve Bell, Professor Brian Schmidt, associate Professor Jeremy Brownlie and emeritus Professor Cheryl Praeger.

Professor Dasgupt will replace Professor Schmidt when his membership expires on February 18.

Professor Scott, a non-academic who was a newcomer to higher education when appointed to lead the University of Sydney in 2021, is well practised in dealing with government after previous stints as head of the NSW Education Department and managing director of the ABC.

The Go8 will have a source of continuity in chief executive Vicki Thomson, who has been in the role since 2015 and been reappointed for the next five years.

The final report of the government’s Universities Accord review of higher education, to be released late next month, is likely to put a tax on universities’ international student income – which Go8 institutions rely on to fund their research budgets – and also slow-walk calls to boost Australia’s research spending.

Professor Scott said an international student tax would be a “dangerous and short-term policy intervention”.

He said that national research performance – in which the Go8 universities dominate – was a standout area of Australian educational achievement compared to, for example, the poor participation rates for early childhood education or lacklustre school performance.

“So I think it would be very short-term for any government or policymaker to turn around and say, ‘We will target the one area where the country has been doing exceptionally well in global terms’,” Professor Scott said.

“Revenue from international students has provided the investment that has been necessary in research in this country that has come at the same time as government … and business investment in research has been in significant long-term decline.”

He said he understood why the government’s work on the Accord had focused on increasing the number of disadvantaged students who get a university education and ensuring graduates have the skills required for modern jobs.

“But to focus on those things does not take away at all from the importance of research … particularly for the long-term strategic growth of the country,” Professor Scott said.

“We shouldn’t be in a position where we’re sacrificing our strength in one area to make further investments in others.”

In a submission lodged this week to a Senate committee examining a bill making changes to the Australian Research Council, the Go8 urges that 65 per cent of ARC grant funding to universities should be allocated to basic research.

Professor Scott said a commitment to basic research was a necessary foundation for future success. “Unless there is a guaranteed investment in basic research now, there’s nothing to translate and commercialise in five, 10, 15 years from now,” he said.

Professor Scott’s two-year term as Go8 chair takes him up to 2026, when the group will admit the new Adelaide University, a merger of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia. Because UniSA does not have a high concentration of research, the newly merged Adelaide University will not, at least for some years, fit the research-intensive profile of Group of Eight members.

The University of Adelaide, a Go8 member, will cease to exist and Professor Scott said the group had debated whether to admit the new Adelaide University.

“We decided we wanted to keep that important university in South Australia in the Go8. I think there’s an expectation that its research performance will improve over time, and that will be a focus,” he said.

He succeeds the former chair, University of Canberra vice-chancellor Paddy Nixon, who was meant to be chair until 2025, but who resigned earlier this month.

The group, which includes Flinders University, Griffith University, James Cook University, La Trobe University, Murdoch University, the University of Canberra, and Western Sydney University, is dedicated to building inclusive education and better research capabilities among the campuses.

Professor Biggs said he is committed to continuing the IRU's achievements after it celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.

"I’m honoured to be named as the Chair of the IRU, with its commitment to equity and innovation," he said.

"I’d like to thank Paddy for his leadership in 2023 and I’m looking forward to continuing the IRU’s values-based work in our communities, around Australia, and the wider Indo-Pacific."

Executive director Paul Harris said this was an important time to lead the university group.

"This is an important moment for Australian universities and for higher education policy, as we await the final report of the Universities Accord panel," he said.

"I look forward to working with Professor Biggs over the next two years as the IRU continues to engage constructively with government on evidence-based policy reform that will maximise the contribution of our universities to the Australian economy and society."

The university said last Thursday that Professor Nixon had stepped down from the position and deputy vice-chancellor (research and enterprise) Lucy Johnston was now running the university.

In a statement Professor Nixon said it had been an “absolute privilege” to hold the role since he commenced in April 2020.

“The university has come so far in the last four, very challenging, years. For personal reasons, I am taking a career break,” Professor Nixon said.

His departure coincides with the arrival of the University of Canberra’s new chancellor, former senior public servant Lisa Paul, who has just commenced her role as chair of the university’s council – its top governing body.

Ms Paul said that Professor Nixon had arrived in the job at the start of the Covid pandemic and “successfully navigated its challenges by protecting both jobs and student learning”.

She thanked Professor Nixon “for his contribution to the university’s successes”.

“For example, we have been rated first in the world for reducing inequalities, two years running. I also note Professor Nixon’s commitment to advancing First Nations Peoples,” Ms Paul said.

Professor Nixon is the current chair of a seven member university grouping – the Innovative Research Universities – and will need to relinquish that position.

The university said it would begin a global search as soon as possible to find Professor Nixon’s successor.

ANU chancellor Julie Bishop said Professor Bell, who presently leads the university’s School of Cybernetics, was “a compelling and passionate leader, with a deep understanding of the university’s distinctive mission, remarkable legacy, vibrant culture and tremendous assets”.

Professor Bell built her career in Silicon Valley working at chipmaker Intel where she rose to be a vice president and senior fellow, and brought anthropological expertise to investigating the impact of technology on society.

In 2017 Professor Schmidt hired her to the ANU where Professor Bell put her ideas into practice by founding the university’s first innovation institute, the Autonomy, Agency and Assurance Institute (3Ai). She expanded the institute into the School of Cybernetics in 2021 and, as well as leading it, she also served as interim dean of the ANU’s College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics in 2022.

Announcing Professor Bell’s appointment as vice-chancellor, Ms Bishop said she had “an extensive and distinguished track record”.

“Genevieve offers great leadership and strategic capabilities, which will be critical as the university addresses its distinctive opportunities and responsibilities as Australia’s national university,” she said.

“It was clear to our selection panel that Genevieve aligns with the university community’s values and vision for ANU. I’m excited that she will be the first woman to hold this position in our history.”

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare welcomed Professor Bell’s appointment, saying that she had positioned the discipline of cybernetics “as a vital tool to help navigate societal transformations”. He said she was an eminent Australian who would lead ANU with distinction.

Professor Schmidt, who decided to return to teaching and research at the ANU after eight years as vice-chancellor, said it was with “great pleasure” that he was handing over leadership to Professor Bell.

“She is someone who is both a leading intellectual and deeply committed to the values of the university and I know she will do a superb job as vice-chancellor,” he said.

Ms Bishop paid tribute to Professor Schmidt who won the 2011 Nobel prize for physics for his research, performed at ANU, which revealed that the expansion of the universe was accelerating – key evidence for the existence of mysterious dark energy which was driving space apart.

“Across the university, his leadership has strengthened collegiality, championed interdisciplinary practice and reinforced shared values and behaviours. We’re delighted he will resume teaching and research in astronomy, at the ANU Mount Stromlo Observatory,” Ms Bishop said.

Professor Bell will relinquish her seat on the Commonwealth Bank board, where she has been a director since 2019.

Professor Susan Elliot AM was appointed interim chief after Monash’s former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Margaret Elaine Gardner AC, resigned to take up the role of Victoria’s 30th Governor.

Before transitioning into the interim role on August 5, Professor Elliot was Monash's provost and senior vice president–a position she held since June 2021.

A global search is ongoing to fill the vice-chancellor position permanently. In the meantime, here are some of Australia's highest-paid VCs in 2022.

Education: PhD Phil Cambridge, MA Cambridge, BA Cambridge, FMedSci

Annual salary: $1.5m

2023 Times HED world rank: 34th

49,558 full-time enrolments

British-born Maskell became the 20th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne on 1 October 2018. Prior to that, he was Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Cambridge.

Education: PhD USYD, BEc (Hons) USYD, Fullbright Scholar

Annual salary: $1.38m

2023 Times HED world rank: 44th

58,725 full-time enrolments

The newly appointed 30th Governor of Victoria, Professor Margaret Gardner AC was Monash University's 10th vice-chancellor for over eight years. Before joining Monash, Gardner was vice-chancellor and president at RMIT.

Education: PhD University of Glasgow, B.Sc. (Hons) University of Edinburgh

Annual salary: $1.23m

2023 Times HED world rank: 301-350th

17,027 full-time enrolments

Scottish-born and educated, Stirling was the first in his family to attend university. Stirling held a NATO research fellowship at UC Berkeley. Stirling was Vice-Chancellor of Curtin University before accepting the VC position at Flinders in January 2015.

#4: Professor David Lloyd - University of South Australia

Education: MA Trinity College, PhD Dublin City University, B.Sc (Hons) Dublin City University

Annual salary: $1.2m

2023 Times HED world rank: 301-350th

23,490 full-time enrolments

Dublin-born Lloyd's contract with UNI SA started in 2015, was extended in 2022 and further extended until 2027. With an academic background in chemistry, Lloyd was appointed inaugural chair of the Irish Research Council and elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE).

#5: Professor Mark Scott AO - University of Sydney

Education: MPA Harvard, MPS USYD, BA USYD, DipEd USYD

Annual salary: $1.109m

2023 Times HED world rank: =54th

45,853 full-time enrolments

American-born Scott started his five-year term as USYD's 27^th vice-chancellor on 19 July 2021. Scott graduated as a teacher before becoming a journalist, managing the ABC, and eventually becoming a senior bureaucrat in the NSW government. His appointment was criticised by some because of his 'non-traditional VC' academic background. Rather, he was chosen for the role because of his experience running large and complex organisations, according to Chancellor Belinda Hutchinson.

Professor Dewar said after 11 years leading the university he's proud of what he has achieved.

"When I came to La Trobe, I knew it was a university with a mission to serve diverse communities across Melbourne's north and throughout regional Victoria," Professor Dewar said.

"I will leave the university with enduring admiration and respect for the passion and determination our people bring to this mission every day.

"I have been inspired to come to work each day and see firsthand the dedication of our staff to widening access to higher education to people from all walks of life."

Professor Dewar came to Australia from the UK in 1995, starting a senior leadership position at Griffith University before becoming the University of Melbourne Provost in 2009.

In 2012, he was appointed Vice-Chancellor at La Trobe.

"It's an honour to be part of an organisation with such a strong tradition of combining excellence, accessibility, innovation, and impact in ways that directly benefit our communities while helping to address the challenges facing our region and the world," he said.

During his tenure, Professor Dewar saw university research income increased by 149 per cent, from $41 million in 2012 to $102 million in 2022.

Professor Dewar said during his final year he will continue to develop partnerships with industry, expand courses offered in regional areas, and oversee development of La Trobe as the "University City of the Future."

In addition to being VC, Professor Dewar is currently Chair of Universities Australia and was previously Chair of the Innovative Research Universities (IRU) network.

In 2020, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of his service to higher education.

La Trobe Chancellor John Brumby AO said Professor Dewar's achievement at La Trobe would leave a lasting legacy.

"John has overseen more than a decade of significant progress and achievement at La Trobe," Mr Brumby said.

"[This] has allowed us to expand the positive benefits of our work to the students we teach, the communities we serve, the industries with which we partner, and through the world-class research we produce."

"Most of all, John's effective leadership when supporting our students, staff and communities through the COVID-19 pandemic – one of the university's most challenging periods."

La Trobe university will now begin an "international recruitment" process to find it's next Vice-Chancellor.