Building trust in public institutions – David Thodey AO

Join business leader and University of Sydney Chancellor David Thodey AO as he gives the 2025 Sydney Policy Lab lecture on "Building trust in public institutions," Wednesday 19 March at the Sybil Centre.

About the speaker

David Thodey AO, FTSE is Chancellor of the University of Sydney. He is widely recognised for his contributions over 30 years to science and technology, business, public service and the community, with significant experience in driving innovation in start-ups, large companies and public sector bodies.

In addition to his role as Chancellor, he is currently Chair of Xero, a global cloud-based accounting solution and Ramsay Health Care, a global hospital group. He has been appointed to the Reserve Bank of Australia's new Governance Board. Previous roles include serving as chief executive of IBM Australia and New Zealand (1999–2001) and Telstra (2009–15), and as chair of the CSIRO (2015–21). David is active in public policy and led an Independent Review of the Australian Public Service.

About the Sydney Policy Lab

The Sydney Policy Lab was created by the University of Sydney to be a non-partisan space where people from all walks of life gather to set the agenda, experiment and make public policy that transforms lives.

The Lab’s prime focus is on and with the community. To kickstart a new ecosystem of public policy research and development, our projects build on deep relationships with civil society organisations, government and philanthropy. We prioritise working with people who have been excluded from decision-making, leadership and power.