Biography – Professor Peter Shergold AC

Professor Peter Shergold AC has a distinguished academic and public service career that spans over three decades.

As the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet from 2003-2008, Professor Shergold was the nation’s most senior public servant. In two decades as a senior public servant he served four Prime Ministers and eight Ministers in both Labor and Coalition governments. During this time, he established the Office of Multicultural Affairs, headed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), and was Public Service Commissioner. He was Secretary of several government departments, including the Department of Education, Science and Training, and the Department of Employment, Workforce Relations and Small Business.

From 2008-2011, Professor Shergold was the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Social Impact, one of Australia’s premier authorities on the development, management, funding and measurement of social impact initiatives. The Centre for Social Impact is a cross-university collaboration that brings together the business, government, philanthropic and social (not-for-profit) sectors, in an effort to build community capacity and facilitate social innovation. From 2012, Peter has continued as Macquarie Group Foundation Professor of Social Impact and has become non-executive Chair of the Centre’s Board of Directors.

Professor Shergold has a Bachelor of Arts (First Class) from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom, a Master of Arts in History from the University of Illinois and a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics. In 2005, Professor Shergold was elected a Fellow of The Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. He is also a Fellow of Australia and New Zealand School of Government and of the Institute of Public Administration Australia.

Professor Shergold serves on the Boards of AMP and Corrs Chambers Westgarth. In the not- for-profit arena he is on the Boards of the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence and the General Sir John Monash Foundation. He also Chairs the Board of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research. He has headed the Ministerial Expert Group on Gambling. Most recently New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell has appointed Professor Shergold to be Chair of a new NSW Public Service Board. Professor Shergold was elected Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney in 2010.