NSW education power rankings: The leaders who shape our students, schools and universities

We’ve ranked the 20 most influential education figures in NSW, from prominent principals to policy heavyweights and uni visionaries. See who tops the list.

New South Wales has not been immune to massive upheaval at both ends of the education spectrum, from safety reforms in early childhood education and care, to a state parliamentary inquiry on universities amid a national governance crisis in the sector.

There’s also been significant shifts at the top within Sydney’s most powerful private schools, as several institutions poached each other’s principals, while other schools suffered financial strife and shut their doors.

With massive upheaval comes changemakers, powerbrokers and education innovators setting the agenda – here are the top 20 education heavyweights in NSW.

The education ministers duo of Prue Car and Courtney Houssos share first and second place on the list, owing to government actions being central to the many education reforms this year.

But beyond the politicians, savvy operators behind the scenes ranked highly – Dallas McInerney (4) and Margery Evans (5) come to mind.

As the extent of sexual abuse in childcare became increasingly apparent to anxious Australian families, advocates in this space emerged.

Sixth-place Greens MP Abigail Boyd and Australian Childcare Alliance NSW boss Chiang Lim reflect two sides of the coin on the childcare safety debate.

At the other end of the education spectrum, university bosses like third-ranked Mark Scott at University of Sydney have had their own problems to deal with.

Artificial intelligence has been rearing its head in schools and universities alike, with teachers at the chalkface.

Some have even found themselves abused with deepfake pornography, or dealing with students who have had their own likenesses stolen; in north Sydney, police investigations into one such case are ongoing.

These are contemporary and ever-evolving issues that the likes of Education Department secretary Murat Dizdar and union leader Henry Rajendra are having to face head-on.

On a broader stage, it’s impossible to look past reforming juggernaut and federal Education Minister Jason Clare for top spot on our national power list, which naturally features quite a few Sydneysiders – including maths teacher turned YouTube star turned uni professor Eddie Woo.

Originally published as NSW education power rankings: The leaders who shape our students, schools and universities