Eminent academic and university sector leader, Professor Margaret Gardner AC, will be appointed the 30th Governor of Victoria.

The term of the current Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC CVO, will expire on Friday, 30 June 2023.

Professor Gardner will commence a five-year term as Governor on Wednesday, 9 August 2023, after she concludes in her current role with Monash University.

During the interim period before Professor Gardner’s inauguration, Lieutenant Governor, Professor James Angus AO, will serve as Acting Governor.

A prominent and well-respected academic with a background in economics, industrial relations and organisational management, Professor Gardner has had a distinguished career in Australia’s university sector and abroad.

As the first woman to lead Monash University, Professor Gardner has served as President and Vice Chancellor since 2014.

She previously served as President and Vice Chancellor at RMIT University between 2005 and 2014, and has also held executive leadership and senior academic positions at the University of Queensland and Griffith University.

Professor Gardner was a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow spending time at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, and the University of California, Berkeley. In 2018, she was elected a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

In 2007, Professor Gardner was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of her service to tertiary education – particularly in the areas of gender equity and university governance – and to industrial relations.

In 2020, she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for her eminent service to tertiary education through leadership and innovation in teaching and learning, research and financial sustainability.

Professor Gardner was Chair of the Group of Eight Universities in Australia from 2020 until 2023 and Chair of Universities Australia from 2017 to 2019.

She has also been a member of a range of boards and committees including Infrastructure Victoria, Museums Victoria, the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, the ANZAC Centenary Advisory Board and the Australian Technology Network.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“Throughout her celebrated academic career, Professor Gardner has broken new ground for women, created fairer and more inclusive spaces for them – and held the door open for those to come after her.”

“Professor Gardner has dedicated her work to the service of others. I was proud to recommend her appointment to His Majesty, and I have no doubt Victorians will be proud to call her their Governor.”

“On behalf of every Victorian, I also thank Governor Dessau for her outstanding leadership and compassion during some of our state’s most challenging times. The Governor and her husband Anthony Howard AM KC have supported, represented and championed our diverse community with grace and dedication.”