Belinda Jane Hutchinson AC FRSN (born August 1953) is an Australian businessperson, accountant, and philanthropist.

Belinda Hutchinson
18th Chancellor of the University of Sydney
Assumed office
4 February 2013 (2013-02-04)
Preceded byDame Marie Bashir
Personal details
BornAugust 1953 (age 70)
Residence(s)Sydney, New South Wales
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
ProfessionUniversity chancellor
Websitewww.sydney.edu.au/about-us/governance-and-structure/governance/chancellor.html

Early life and education edit

Belinda Jane Hutchinson was born in August 1953.[1]

Hutchinson graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Economics degree in 1976.[2][3]

Hutchinson trained as a chartered accountant in Sydney, while working.[4]

Career edit

Hutchinson worked as an accountant for seven years at Arthur Andersen, which included three years in the United States. She then took up a post in the project finance division of Citibank in Sydney. She stayed at Citibank for 11 years, also working in corporate finance. Macquarie Group, a client of Citibank invited her to join its advisory business, and she later created its Equity Capital Markets division.[4]

During the 1990s she worked part-time to accommodate her family duties, and did consulting work at Macquarie. During this period she was invited to serve as non-executive director on the boards of renewable energy supplier Snowy Hydro Trading, Crane Group, and EnergyAustralia. Later, she became a member of the boards of Telstra and Coles Myer.[4]

She then took up a more challenging position, becoming chair of QBE Insurance around 2011, when the insurance industry was experiencing a turbulent time.[4] She remained at QBE until 2014.[5][6]

Hutchinson was appointed chancellor of the University of Sydney in 2013.[7] In August 2015 she was made chair of Thales Australia,[8] the local branch of a French arms manufacturer. In July 2017 the University of Sydney created a memorandum of understanding with Thales "to work closely together over the next five years to develop new technologies and capabilities".[9] The university says that Hutchinson had no part in the memorandum of understanding.[10] In June 2023, she became a non-executive director of the board.[11]

In December 2016, the university senate reappointed Hutchinson for a second term as chancellor.[12] In May 2020, the university senate reappointed Hutchinson for a third term as chancellor.[13] On 11 March 2024, it was announced that Hutchinson would be stepping down from the role, having reached 12-year limit of the University Senate, which elected David Thodey as her replacement.[14]

On 12 April 2018 Hutchinson was appointed as a non-executive director to the Qantas board[1][7] (still active as of April 2024).[5]

Other roles edit

Hutchinson has served as president of the council of the State Library of New South Wales[15] since (board member since 1996, still active as of April 2024[5]).

She was president of Chief Executive Women,[7] from 2011 to 2012.[15] of which she remains a member.[16]

She has served as chair of Future Generation Global (until 2021[5]) and QBE Insurance Group, and as director on the boards of AGL Energy (until 2018[5]), St Vincent's Health Australia, TAB, and Sydney Water.[7]

She has been a board member of the Centre for Independent Studies since 2010 (still active as of April 2024[5]).

Philanthropy edit

Hutchinson strives to develop a culture of philanthropy. As of 2024 she is a non-executive member of the Australian Philanthropic Services,[11][16] and is a trustee of the St Vincent's Curran Foundation. Her family has a foundation that supports a number of community-based projects, such as work done by the Hunger Project in Malawi.[7]

Honours edit

Personal life edit

Hutchinson had children in the 1990s.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Belinda Jane HUTCHINSON personal appointments". GOV.UK. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  2. ^ "University leaders honoured in Queen's Birthday list". The University of Sydney. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  3. ^ Akerman, Pia (9 November 2013). "10 Questions: Belinda Hutchinson, businesswoman, 60". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 16 March 2016. [dead link]
  4. ^ a b c d e "View from the top: Belinda Hutchinson". Chartered Accountants Worldwide. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Belinda Jane Hutchinson: Positions, Relations and Network". MarketScreener. 30 March 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  6. ^ Bennet, Michael (14 December 2014). "Inside Hutchinson's honourable fall as QBE sinks". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 16 March 2016. [dead link]
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Chancellor Belinda Hutchinson". The University of Sydney. 7 August 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Thales Australia appoints Belinda Hutchinson AM as new Board Chair". Thales Group. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Thales Australia partners with University of Sydney". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  10. ^ Armitage, Catherine (6 February 2013). "Choice of Sydney University leader shifts the debate to profit and loss". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Belinda Hutchinson AC". Thales Group. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Chancellor Belinda Hutchinson AM re-appointed". University of Sydney. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Chancellor Belinda Hutchinson AC re-appointed". University of Sydney. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  14. ^ Maddison, Simone (9 April 2024). "Vale Belinda Hutchinson — you would have hated this article". Honi Soit. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Belinda Hutchinson". Chief Executive Women. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Belinda Hutchinson AC". Australian Philanthropic Services. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  17. ^ "HUTCHINSON, Belinda Jane – Member of the Order of Australia – 11 June 2007". It's an Honour. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia). Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  18. ^ "Queen's Birthday 2020 Honours List" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
Academic offices
Preceded by Chancellor of the University of Sydney
2013–present
Incumbent