Nicole Gillespie takes UQ chair in organisational trust

The University of Queensland business school has appointed Nicole Gillespie to its first chair in organisational trust.

The University of Queensland business school has appointed Nicole Gillespie to its first chair in organisational trust.

Business school dean Julie Cogin said the time was right to establish the new chair, following recent royal commissions that have focused public attention on breaches of trust by organisations.

“To create change, we need to educate future leaders on how to embed trust into the DNA of a company and its culture,” Professor Cogin said.

The new chair has been established by the business school in partnership with consultancy firm KPMG.

KPMG Australia chairwoman Alison Kitchen said the issue of trust had been on the table in nearly all her business meetings in the past year. She said KPMG’s support for the research and education programs of the new chair would help “businesses understand how trust can be taken from the theoretical and applied to the practical”.

Professor Gillespie, who has studied trust issues internationally, said that part of her role would be to use research to inform practice and provide clear guidelines for companies on improving trust with shareholders.