The Queensland Government has appointed four new Directors-General to lead key departments across the public sector, following an advertised recruitment and selection process.
The leadership positions attracted candidates from across many Australian jurisdictions and New Zealand, the Government said in a statement today.
The appointments include:
- Sharon Schimming, Director-General for the Department of Education (DOE);
- Belinda Drew, Director-General for the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety (DFSDSCS);
- Sarah Cruikshank, Director-General for the Department of Justice (DOJ);
- Natalie Wilde, Director-General for the Department of Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Multiculturalism (DWATSIPM).
Premier, David Crisafulli, welcomed the new appointments, who he said would be an important part of delivering a Fresh Start for Queensland.
“These four Directors-General have been selected from an exceptionally high-quality field of candidates and bring vast public and private sector experience to these roles,” Premier Crisafulli said.
“They will be instrumental in delivering the programs and services our Government promised Queenslanders at the election, and I look forward to working with them to deliver this fresh start.”
Ms Schimming is a senior executive with more than 30 years’ experience, currently in the role of Acting Director-General for DOE.
Prior to this role, as the Associate Director-General and Regional Director for DOE, she has led major education system reforms, including the development of a new Education Reform Strategy and the implementation of free four-year-old kindergarten.
After completing a Diploma of Teaching from the Darling Downs Institute of Education, she completed a Bachelor of Health Science from the Queensland University of Technology followed by a Master of Education from the Queensland University of Technology and has undertaken the Company Directors Course through the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ms Drew is currently the Acting Director-General for DFSDSCS having previously held the role as Deputy Director-General in Women’s Safety, Victims, and Community Support and Deputy Director-General, Communities.
She is an experienced executive leader with over 25 years’ experience, specialising in policy, program design, investment, and service delivery.
After completing a Bachelor of Teaching from Griffith University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology, and Social Work from The University of Queensland; she has completed postgraduate studies in Family and Community Services as well as pre-law from the University of Queensland; and undertook Executive Development in Human Services Value Curve through Harvard University.
Ms Cruikshank is a highly experienced policy, service delivery and governance reform leader with 18 years’ experience as a senior executive in both the public and private sectors.
She has held multiple Deputy Secretary positions in the NSW Government, including in the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) and the Department of Customer Service. She was also seconded into the Premier’s office from the Public Service.
Ms Cruickshank has a Bachelor of Arts (History) from the University of Sydney, is a graduate of the NSW Public Service Leadership Academy, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an alumna of the Dr John Yu Fellowship in Cultural Diversity in Leadership from the University of Sydney Business School.
Ms Wilde has more than 23 years’ experience in the Queensland public service and 12 years at the senior executive level with extensive experience in developing and implementing policy reforms, particularly in areas related to economic and regional development, infrastructure, property, and land use planning.
After completing a Bachelor of Public Health from the Queensland University of Technology, she gained a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Queensland; has undertaken the Company Directors Course through the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and been the recipient of the Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Service Delivery on two occasions.
She is currently the Deputy Director-General, Strategy, Insights and Advisory, Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning and prior to that was the Deputy Director-General, Local Government Division with the former Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning.
