Mass exodus: QUT sheds shocking number of senior staff

The Queensland University of Technology has suffered a mass exodus of senior execs and faculty deans over the past two years while battling internal staff unrest and the Covid pandemic.

A major Queensland university has suffered a mass exodus of senior executives and faculty deans over the past two years while battling internal staff unrest and the Covid pandemic, it can be revealed.

At least four senior executives have departed the Queensland University of Technology since 2019, including the institution’s provost, chief financial officer, chief information officer and a deputy vice-chancellor.

QUT also suffered a blow just last month when high-profile Chancellor and former Rio Tinto Minerals executive Xiaoling Liu announced she would step down at the end of June after just two years in the job for “personal reasons”.

Outgoing QUT Chancellor Dr Xiaoling Liu.

Dr Liu’s departure comes 12 months after she was the recipient of a bombshell open letter from a number of QUT staff, which among a number of complaints made serious accusations of “toxic culture” at the university.

Further allegations made by staff regarding alleged bullying led to the introduction of a third-party complaints reporting service, with executives sent to “leadership training”.

An analysis of the higher education institution’s annual reports shows of the six faculty executive deans holding positions at the university in 2019, only one remained when QUT’s most recent annual report was published in late March.

Current Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil began her position in 2018, taking over from the longstanding Peter Coaldrake.

QUT vice-chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

Mr Coaldrake – currently tasked with leading a review into the culture and accountability of Queensland’s public service – had held the position since 2003.

Asked by The Courier-Mail about the departures, a university spokesman said “a number of positions have changed at QUT over that (2019-2021) period for a range of reasons including the impact of Covid on the university sector”.

“There have been some changes across the broad executive team due to promotions, retirements and also people pursuing other opportunities.”

As well as the most recent shake-ups, since 2017 at least 11 senior staff have left the university.

There have been a number of high-profile staff changes at QUT. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

QUT did not answer questions on whether it was concerned by the volume of changes among senior executives and leaders, or whether further changes were expected this year.

Among the high profile departures from the institution’s 2019 leadership team were Emeritus Professor Suzi Derbyshire, Professor Gordon Wyeth and Emeritus Professor Carol Dickenson.

Some have found new positions at rival universities including Emeritus Professor Dickenson who joined The Women’s College within UQ as president, Professor Ross Young who joined the University of the Sunshine Coast while Professor Dan Hunter was set to join the King’s College of London later this year.

Several other former QUT executives have landed gigs in the corporate sector including with the Adani Group and international law firm King and Wood Mallesons, according to their LinkedIn bios.

Professor Sheil was reappointed as QUT’s Vice-Chancellor for a further five years in March, saying at the time it was “a great honour to lead the team at QUT”.