Following a competitive national recruitment process, Danielle Woolley has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Public Policy Institute.
Danielle has held senior executive roles across the public, private and university sectors and is currently Director of Government Relations and Policy at the University of Technology Sydney, where she has also been a Fellow of the Human Technology Institute.
Danielle spent 25 years in the NSW Government working on policy priorities across social, economic and environmental portfolios. She served in senior executive roles at the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet and worked for ten years in the Department of Family and Community Services (now the Department of Communities and Justice) as well as five years in the Environment Protection Authority.
Before joining UTS, she was a consulting partner in a professional services firm, and brings a unique combination of experience in policymaking, university external engagement and strategic advisory to APPI.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Australian Public Policy Institute at this exciting stage of its development and growth. APPI is a unique model for government and university collaboration in public policy development. Having spent most of my career in government and most recently in the higher education sector, I’ve seen first-hand the important progress that can be made by bringing policymakers and researchers together towards shared objectives of improving outcomes for Australian communities,” Danielle Woolley said.
APPI will be further strengthened under Danielle’s strategic leadership. As the Institute works to deepen public policy through partnership with university researchers, Danielle is exceptionally well-positioned to extend our networks and pathways for government-university collaboration. I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of Verity Firth and Jillian Kilby, as well as the entire APPI Board, in this recruitment process.
Peter Varghese AO
Danielle Woolley will commence her role as CEO of APPI on 9 November 2026. Danielle’s recruitment follows the appointment of two new Directors to the APPI Board, The Hon. Linda Burney and Professor Michael Wesley.
