By Liz McGrath
Dr Diane Smith-Gander brings a lifetime of perspective to her new role.
When Dr Diane Smith-Gander AO was announced as UWA's 16th Chancellor the congratulatory messages flooded in.
“Emails, texts, WhatsApp notifications, LinkedIn messages – more than I’ve ever received in my life for any other appointment, or anything else,” she smiles.
“And the overwhelming sentiment, don’t mess up our university! Although in some cases they said it in perhaps a rather more colloquial fashion.”
It's this blend of gravity and warmth that typifies UWA's first female Chancellor.
Taking the helm at a pivotal time for higher education in Australia, the East Fremantle resident brings more than three decades of experience spanning corporate leadership, strategy consulting and board governance across Australia and the United States.
Her appointment comes as universities navigate significant policy changes, including new governance regulations and international student caps, while addressing evolving market challenges.
Her connection with UWA began unusually early – as a primary school student attending French extension classes on Saturday mornings.
Image: Diane Smith-Gander and friend Joanne Tulau at a Chemistry Club event in 1975.
A self-described “very opinionated” high school student, she found herself drawn to campus life even before enrolling for what she describes as “two attempts to obtain an undergraduate degree”.
Her campaign against gender-based uniform policies – questioning why boys could wear jeans while girls couldn't at secondary school – led her to connect with the UWA Student Guild, giving her an early taste of university advocacy.
When the former state basketball player speaks of justice and equal opportunity today, they’re not just as abstract concepts, but as practical necessities in modern education.
Throughout her career, she’s been a powerful advocate for gender equality and women in leadership, with her commitment to advancing opportunities for women earning her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2019.
The guiding light for me is to never forget that we are obliged by the purpose of the University to take wisdom and to impart wisdom for the prosperity of the people in WA
Dr Diane Smith-Gander AO, UWA's Chancellor
“My view on gender equity comes from a deep-seated belief and the values that my parents had of justice,” she says. “They felt that everybody deserved to have equal opportunity.
“That didn't mean you would automatically get an equal outcome. How hard you worked, how thoughtfully you worked, how well you prepared yourself, was all going to play into potentially getting better results.
“As a woman I was very motivated, particularly watching the lessons of my parents and their views on justice, to be part of doing something about it.”
She says she’s particularly proud of how UWA handles complex global discussions while maintaining a safe, inclusive campus environment.
“I think the fact that my early interaction with the University was very broad means I’ve always seen it as a crucial part of the education system, far more wide-ranging than just being research intensive, or just pumping out graduates,” she says.
That relationship has evolved through multiple roles, including chairing the Business School Board and becoming an Adjunct Professor of Corporate Governance, before she assumed the chancellorship in January 2025.
Her vision for UWA is practical and profound. “The guiding light for me is to never forget that we are obliged by the purpose of the University to take wisdom and to impart wisdom for the prosperity of the people in WA,” she says.
That local focus, however, doesn't limit her global ambitions for the University.
Drawing on her extensive corporate experience, including roles at Zip Co Limited, Perenti Limited, and HBF Health Limited, she sees many unique opportunities.
“For a country with a small population in a very large land mass with a vibrant economy, we punch so much above our weight,” she says, emphasising the need for stronger integration between universities and industry.
Her commitment to Indigenous reconciliation is equally clear. “UWA has a special place because of where it's located, on such an important part of Noongar land,” she says.
“As I've come to understand that better, it's changed my thinking about the accountability the University should take for reconciliation, particularly as we walk together in Danjoo Koorliny towards 2029, marking 200 years of colonisation in Perth.”
Following the Hon Robert French AC, whose counsel she describes as consistently “considered, broad-ranging and informed,” she is already bringing her own distinctive style to the chancellorship.
Working alongside the Vice-Chancellor, she plans to leverage their complementary skills – his academic insight matching her commercial acumen.
“I’ve been on the planet a while now and with that does come a better understanding of yourself,” she reflects.
“What works for you? What doesn't work for you? What builds your resilience and what saps it – 2024 was the strongest, happiest, most impactful year that I've had in my life and I'm expecting 2025 to finish up being even better.
“I’m at the point now where I'm confidently comfortable about what I’m able to do and in knowing that where I don't have strength, I need people around me who do have those strengths.
“And that's part of what makes doing this possible for me – knowing that the people in the lead operational roles across the University are all fabulous leaders.”
With decades of corporate leadership, a deep connection to WA and an unwavering commitment to justice, Dr Smith-Gander seems perfectly positioned to guide UWA through its next chapter. If her track record is any indication, there will be plenty of positive surprises ahead.
Read the full issue of the Winter 2025 edition of Uniview [Accessible PDF].