Advisory Board

Mr Ian Marshman AM (Chair)

Ian was previously the University’s Academic Registrar from 1990 to 1999 where he had oversight of MU Sport for a number of years. He also served as a member of the Sport and Physical Recreation Committee (SPRC) which was previously the governing body for sport at the University. In 1999, Ian was appointed the University’s Senior Vice-Principal (Chief Operating Officer), a role he held until his retirement in 2015. Across his career in public service, Ian has held Board and Chair positions for the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, Melbourne Theatre Company, Grattan Institute, Australian National Academy of Music. Ian also has a Blue in Lacrosse and has deep connections with many of our sporting alumni and an interest in sport.

Appointed May 2021.

Ms Joanna Weston

Joanna is a current member of the Australian National Netball team (the Diamonds) and the Melbourne Vixens in the Suncorp Super Netball League. In 2022 she proudly represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games helping the country bring home a gold medal. Off the court, Joanna graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Commerce and previously worked within the Private Enterprise Division at Deloitte. She is also President of the Australian Netball Players’ Association which seeks to promote the interests of the country’s elite netballers. Joanna joins the Board with a wealth of knowledge and is a strong advocate for our athletes and athlete support program.

Appointed March 2019.

Prof. Sarah Biddulph

Sarah is the Assistant Deputy Vice-Chancellor International (China) and Director of the Asian Law Centre at the University of Melbourne. Sarah’s research focuses on the Chinese legal system with a particular emphasis on legal policy, law making and enforcement as they affect the administration of justice in China. Her particular areas of research are contemporary Chinese administrative law, criminal procedure, labour, comparative law and the law regulating social and economic rights. She was a solicitor with Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst) between 1986 and 1992 in Sydney and Melbourne and again between 1998 and 2001 in the firm’s Shanghai representative office. Sporting and recreation-wise, Sarah has interests in Wushu, Taiqi, Sailing and Cycling. In her spare time, she never misses a chance to walk her dog and play silly games with him.

Appointed August 2019.

Ms Rosemary Bissett

Ms Bissett is a graduate of the University and a long time competitor and club administrator at the Volleyball club and an active member of the Club Advisory Group. Rosemary is the Head of ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) Risk Management at the National Australia Bank, a Director of North East Water and the Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia. Rosemary has been a member of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute Advisory Board, the National Environmental Science Program Threatened Species Research Hub Steering Committee, United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative Banking Committee and the Natural Capital Coalition’s Advisory Panel and Biodiversity Steering Group. She previously worked as a Board Secretary for a Victorian Government agency and in various roles in the water industry and has an MBA and Master of Applied Science in analytical chemistry.

Appointed March 2022.

Mr Jesse Gardner-Russell

Jesse is a vastly experienced student leader at the University as President of the Graduate Student Association (GSA), and currently GSA General Secretary and Board Chair of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA). A student at the University since 2018 Jesse has an Honours Degree in Anatomy and Physiology, Masters in Biotechnology, and is a current PhD Candidate in the Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology). Jesse has been instrumental in supporting ongoing collaborations with GSA, MU Sport, UMSU and UMSU International and working collaboratively across the University for positive student outcomes. Jesse has been an avid tennis player for many years and still plays regularly at the Sports Precinct as a club member, also initiating a ‘friendly’ competition amongst other student leaders. More recently he has added badminton to his repertoire and as a consequence has firsthand experience of the difficulty of accessing the limited and overcrowded sporting facilities at the University. Jesse is an advocate of regular physical activity, such as tennis, and the benefits for physical health and building important social connections for students, staff and alumni.

Mr James Hardiman

James has been the Principal of St Hilda’s College since December 2022 after almost 3 years as the Dean of Students. He has nearly 15 years of experience in residential colleges, having also held roles as Dean and Deputy Dean at the Kensington Colleges at UNSW. James holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial Chemistry) and a Master of Business Administration specialising in Social Impact and Non-profits, both from UNSW. James enjoyed an 8 year career as an engineer before realising his real calling was in residential colleges. He has a strong passion for leadership and professional development and is a staunch advocate for building diverse communities with a focus on equity and access for underrepresented students. James represented UNSW at intervarsity and is a passionate spectator and lover of all sports and attended both the 2022 and 2024 Grand Finals as a (disappointed) Swans supporter. James lives on site at St Hilda’s with his family and now enjoys supporting his two sons as they start their sporting journey. As the current Chair of the Head.

Ms Stephanie Spence

Stephanie is the Service Improvement Manager in the Operational Performance Group which is focussed on driving improved operational efficiency, effectiveness and experiences across the University. Prior to joining the OPG, from 2005-2015 Stephanie held leadership roles in domestic and international student acquisition for the Education, Science and Engineering and IT Faculties.

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Behavioural Science from LaTrobe University and a Graduate Diploma in University Management from The University of Melbourne.

Stephanie was the inaugural Chair of the Stawell Gift Event Management Ltd Committee, formed by the State Government in 2020 with responsibilities for governing the iconic Easter event, The Stawell Gift. Stephanie was the first female President of the Victorian Athletic League, appointed after 123 years of male leadership. Prior to this appointment Stephanie was a keen participant in both amateur and professional running at a state and national level. In her spare time, Stephanie loves to cook and spend time with her family.

Ms Kitty Chiller AM

Kitty is one of Australia's leading and most respected sports administrators. She currently holds the position of Acting CEO of the National Sports Tribunal; as well as holding Board positions on the Executive of the Australian Olympic Committee (since 2013); President of the Oceania Modern Pentathlon Federation and an Executive Board member of the International MP Federation (UIPM).

Prior to her current role, Kitty has held several high-profile positions including CEO of Gymnastics Australia (2017 - 2023); and Chef de Mission of the Australian Olympic Team for Rio 2016, the first time a female has held this prestigious role. Kitty also sat on the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Executive Board and the International Olympic Committee's Athletes Entourage Committee (both from 2018 - 2023)

An Olympian in Sydney 2000 in the sport of Modern Pentathlon, Kitty represented the University in swimming (in which she holds a Full Blue), athletics and fencing.

Kitty joins the Board with an exceptional network within the Australian sports sector and an in-depth knowledge of both high-performance and recreational sport.

Professor Pip Nicholson

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (People and Community)

Working across the breadth of the University, the DVC (P&C) provides focused leadership and direction for the ‘Community’ pillar of Advancing Melbourne. The DVC (P&C) focuses on the connections between the student experience and staff experience across the University, and integrates the University’s people and academic strategies.

Before being appointed as DVC (People and Community) on 26 April 2022, Professor Nicholson served as Dean of the Melbourne Law School (MLS) from 2018 to March 2022, and also previously served as the Director of the Asian Law Centre.

Pip has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the university community, having served as Vice-President and Deputy Vice-President of Academic Board between 2015 and 2017 and Chair of the Respect Taskforce in 2019.

For over 20 years, Professor Nicholson’s research has focused on the Vietnamese legal system and comparative approaches to development aid. A former barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and the High Court of Australia, Professor Nicholson’s professional experience spans commercial lawyering, legal aid and international consultancy, with a focus on development aid in Asia. Across this period, Pip has consistently taken insights from her research into her teaching at the MLS in the Juris Doctor and the Melbourne Law Masters programs.

Mr Timothy Lee

Tim has been involved in the delivery of sporting, recreational and fitness services in the university and community sectors for over 30 years, and since 2009 as the Director of Sport at the University of Melbourne (MU Sport). Tim has led the repositioning of sport at the University and with his team increased student participation and sport performance, completed a major capital plan and significantly improved the financial position of the organisation. MU Sport is considered an exemplar for good governance and management and regularly hosts national and international industry visitors.

Tim has been a key player in the development of national industry benchmarking and several national sporting initiatives whilst also serving on a number boards and committees with the national body, Australian University Sport, including as a Board Director from 2002 to 2012.