Professor John Pollaers OAM has been installed as the fifth Chancellor of Swinburne University of Technology in a ceremony held at Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
The installation was presided over by HE Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria.
Professor Pollaers has a distinguished international career in the consumer products and advanced manufacturing industries, and he brings significant experience from across the public and private sectors to Swinburne. He has been chief executive and director of major companies including Pacific Brands and Foster’s Group Limited, and is the founder of Leef Independent Living Solutions.
In his address, Professor Pollaers said it was an honour and a privilege to share in Swinburne’s leadership.
“Our times are complicated and uncertain, and the world around us is confusing and volatile,” Professor Pollaers said.
“I strongly believe this is where we, as a university, can step into the light and be a place that our communities can turn to and can trust.”
Professor Pollaers paid tribute to George and Ethel Swinburne, who laid the foundations for Swinburne in 1908, with a vision to transform education and serve the community.
“We must stand with integrity and independence, as a place where those who seek knowledge can come, confident they can explore and that they will be welcomed. It is imperative that we remain an unwavering beacon of trust, dependability and inquiry.”
Swinburne’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Linda Kristjanson AO, welcomed Professor Pollaers as “an inspired choice to lead Swinburne”.
“I know John to be a person of great intellect, energy, leadership and resolve, and I am delighted to support him as he formally steps into this role,” Professor Kristjanson said.
Full speeches by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor are available on our website.