ANZSOG’s CEO Forums are a unique opportunity for agency heads from Aotearoa New Zealand and the Australian Commonwealth, states, and territories to come together for 24 hours to discuss issues that are critical to chief executives and their organisations. Limited to ~20 places to ensure maximum opportunity for building networks and frank discussions, the chief executives will hear from a range of experts in public administration including leaders of current and former public institutions.  

Discussions at the Forum will be co-shaped by what the chief executives bring to the table and there will be time and space for reflection within a format that is structured yet flexible. Importantly, the Forums are held under the Chatham House Rule and are completely confidential.  

Chief executives are emerging out of a high-paced, chaotic and exhausting three years caused primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic and its shadow. They now face the leadership challenge of shifting their organisations and systems towards planning and delivering long-term reform, while still navigating acute crises and balancing their own self-care and the wellbeing and recovery of their employees and systems.   

This forum will enable CEOs to examine:  

• how they and their organisations can shift from an operating cadence where ‘everything is urgent’ to adopting a more sustainable pace for reform which requires longer-term time horizons;  
• how to build and maintain organisational and system capacity for juggling urgent demands and acute crises, which will still continue to arise; and  
• how to ensure leadership sustainability by balancing self-care and system stewardship with the short-term demands and expectations of stakeholders and staff.  

The Forum will be held in Barton, ACT and comprise of a welcome dinner on the evening of Thursday 25 May (~6:30pm – 9:00pm AEST), and a daylong forum workshop on Friday, 26 May 2023 (~9:00am – 5:00pm AEST).  

Our objective for the CEO Forum is to convene intimate learning experiences comprising delegates from all jurisdictions in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, so places will be limited and based on a relative jurisdictional scale.

Price: $4,000 AUD, excl GST

Note that all travel and accommodation arrangements and expenses related to the CEO Forum are the responsibility of the participant.

The CEO Forum will be led by:  

• Robbie Macpherson has extensive experience developing senior public sector leaders as well as executives in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Robbie teaches ANZSOG’s long-standing Towards Strategic Leadership program and directs the National Leadership Program for CEOs of For-Purpose Organisations with Social Impact Leadership Australia. He has worked in Scotland, Australia, the Netherlands, the US and South Africa.   

• Dr. Jill Charker  has held senior executive leadership positions (including CEO and Deputy Secretary) in a diverse range of portfolios within the state and federal public sector. Jill has previously been a member of ANZSOG’s Alumni Advisory Council and Convenor of the Canberra Alumni Group.  

Self-nominations for the first forum, Sustainable Leadership: Pacing yourself and your organisation to succeed over the long-haul are now open and will close on 24 March 2023. We will continue to keep you informed about future CEO Forums in 2023.