Senior Executive Leadership Program

Why It Matters

Equipping senior public leaders with forward‑looking skills strengthens government resilience, improves policy outcomes and accelerates reform across agencies.

Key Takeaways

• Program targets SES Band 1 and equivalent senior public leaders.
• Four two‑day sessions run June 10‑11 and 17‑18, 2026.
• Speakers include senior officials from archives, health, defense, statistics.
• Participants gain strategic foresight on emerging public‑sector trends.
• Networking across agencies strengthens resilience and reform capacity.

Pulse Analysis

In an era of rapid technological disruption and heightened societal expectations, senior public‑sector leaders must anticipate change rather than merely react to it. The Senior Executive Leadership Program addresses this need by delivering a focused curriculum that blends strategic foresight, scenario planning, and resilience building. By gathering senior executives from diverse government portfolios, the program creates a crucible for shared learning that mirrors the interconnected nature of modern public administration.

The speaker lineup underscores the program’s breadth. Simon Froude, Director General of the National Archives, will discuss data stewardship and digital transformation, while Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd brings health‑system preparedness to the fore. Defense insights come from Inspector General James Gaynor, and Deputy Australian Statistician Phillip Gould will unpack the role of advanced analytics in policy design. Together, these leaders provide a panoramic view of the challenges and opportunities confronting Australian government, offering participants actionable frameworks that can be adapted to their own agencies.

Beyond knowledge transfer, the program cultivates a high‑value network among senior officials, fostering inter‑agency collaboration that is essential for coordinated reform. As governments worldwide grapple with climate change, cyber threats, and evolving citizen expectations, such executive education initiatives become critical pipelines for talent equipped to drive systemic change. Participants leave with concrete tools to embed adaptability into their organisations, positioning the Australian public sector to meet future demands with confidence and agility.