The Higher Education Standards Panel (HESP) is a legislative advisory body under the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011, with responsibility related to the standards applying in higher education in Australia.
On this page:
Professor Steve Chapman CBE (Panel Chair)
Vice-Chancellor and President, Edith Cowan University
Professor Steve Chapman commenced his role as Vice-Chancellor and President of Edith Cowan University (ECU) in April 2015.
Prior to joining ECU, Professor Chapman was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University from 2009, and Vice-Principal at the University of Edinburgh from 2006.
Professor Chapman holds the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from Newcastle University.
In 2001 he received the Interdisciplinary Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry, for his ground-breaking work at the interface of Chemistry and Biology. He has published over 200 scientific papers in prestigious journals and has given numerous Plenary Lectures at International Conferences. Professor Chapman was one of the founders of ScotCHEM, the research "pooling" exercise in Chemistry across Scotland.
Among his board and committee memberships while Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, Professor Chapman chaired the Funding Policy Committee of Universities Scotland and was a member of the Board of the Universities and Colleges Employers' Association.
In Australia, Professor Chapman is Chair of the Higher Education Standards Panel (Member since 2020, Chair from 2021) appointed by the Minister for Education to provide expert advice to the Commonwealth Government on maintaining and improving the quality and standards of Australia’s higher education and research; a Director of the Universities Australia Board (since 2020); a Member of the Board of Governors of the Forrest Research Foundation (since 2020); a Member of the Mindarie Senior College Board (since 2015) and a former Non-Executive Director of the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre Board (2017 to 2020).
In 2005 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Edinburgh in 2011.
In 2016 Professor Chapman was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to higher education.
Professor Kerri-Lee Krause PhD PFHEA FSRHE (Deputy Chair)
Provost and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Avondale University
Professor Krause commenced in her current role at Avondale University in April 2021, leading the former University College in a successful bid to become Australia’s newest university. Prior to this, she was the Deputy Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Life) and Deputy Provost at The University of Melbourne. She continues her policy research connection with the University of Melbourne as an Honorary Fellow, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education.
She is an experienced university executive with over 30 years’ experience in public universities. Her leadership has focused on systemic institutional turnaround strategies through enhancing the quality of university learning, teaching and student experiences, particularly among diverse student cohorts. Roles have included PVC and Chair in Higher Education at Griffith University and DVC Academic at Western Sydney and La Trobe University. Her Provost experience includes leadership of academic and research strategies to achieve strategic change. As Provost at Victoria University, she led the introduction of the block model curriculum initiative and workforce renewal spanning the higher education and TAFE sectors.
Her sector leadership includes four years as elected Chair of the Universities Australia Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) group and non-Executive Director on numerous Boards. She has led the national admissions transparency of higher education strategic priority on behalf of the Higher Education Standards Panel since 2017. She is internationally recognised for her higher education policy research on the contemporary student experience, the evolving nature of academic work and implications for higher education leadership, quality and standards.
Professor Helen Bartlett
Vice-Chancellor and President, University of the Sunshine Coast
Professor Helen Bartlett is an experienced leader and passionate advocate for regional education.
As Vice-Chancellor and President of USC, Professor Bartlett is leading the university during a time of unprecedented growth and expansion across the South-East Queensland corridor – a period that is expected to bring a wealth of opportunities for the university to increase its impact and engagement across the region.
Prior to starting as USC’s third Vice-Chancellor and President in August 2020, Professor Bartlett led a period of transformation at Federation University Australia, enhancing its profile as a multi-campus institution, its innovative approach to regional higher education and focus on responding to the needs of its communities.
During Professor Bartlett’s time as Vice-Chancellor and President of Federation University from 2017 to 2020, she was also Chair of the Regional Universities Network – a role in which she was able to use her experience to successfully advocate for regional universities when it came to issues of funding, research and policy development. Professor Bartlett was also Chair of the Victorian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee in the year prior to her move to Queensland and worked closely with the Victorian Government as universities shaped their response to the COVID-91 pandemic.
She is passionate about the role regional universities play in helping shape communities and enhancing economic, social and environmental outcomes through education, research and community engagement.
On the international stage, Professor Bartlett has held leadership roles in universities across Australia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Malaysia – where she was President and Chief Executive of Monash University Malaysia from 2013 to 2017.
Professor Bartlett’s diverse experience and expertise are sought after when it comes to higher education policy and development, having contributed to several key advisory bodies such as the Higher Education Standards Panel, the Australian Government Council for International Education, and the National Priorities and Industry Linkage Fund Working Group.
Professor Joe Chicharo OM
Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Wollongong (retired)
Professor Chicharo retired as Senior DVC and DVC (Academic) at the University of Wollongong at the end of 2021.
As DVC (Academic), Professor Chicharo had responsibility for services, programs and resources that support the full life-cycle transition and success of UOW students through the office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students).
Prior to this role, Professor Chicharo was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Strategy) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) at Wollongong. Professor Chicharo has been highly successful in attracting research grants as well as substantial industry sponsorship for research work at UOW.
He has a distinguished academic and research track record.
Professor Chicharo has served as the inaugural President of the Australian Council of Deans of Information and Communication Technology, the Chair of the Mathematical, Information and Computing Sciences (Cluster 5), Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2010 assessment exercise. He was also Chair of the Australian Research Council – Mathematics, Information and Communication Sciences Panel (2005-2007).
Professor Chicharo was awarded an Order of Merit (Portugal) (OM) in the 2007 Honours list to honour distinguished services in the public and private sphere.