Meet Jennifer Leslie

BCom, FCA(Aust), TFASFA, FGIA, MAICD

Why did you join the University Council?Jennifer Leslie Headshot

I am a proud Novocastrian and alumna of University of Newcastle. Having served on the Alumni Advisory Committee for several years, I am honoured to have been invited to join the University Council and look forward to further contributing to our world class university.

What do you look back on most fondly when it comes to your own education?

As the first person in my family to finish year 12 let alone go to university I was excited just to have the opportunity to gain a tertiary education. The standout for me were the lecturers and tutors who opened my mind to possibilities. I always recall one saying that “university does not you teach what to think, it teaches you how to think.” That has made all the difference.

Biography

Jennifer is a non-executive director with fifteen years of board-level experience and a diverse career forged in the Hunter Region. Jennifer is a Chartered Accountant and Certified Financial Planner who has held senior positions with national consulting firms, Pitcher Partners and PwC. She has held board and committee positions with some of the region’s most significant organisations including Newcastle Permanent where she chaired the Charitable Foundation, University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Local Health District and Maitland City Council. She is also a Non-Executive Director of Regional Australia Bank Limited and the national not for profit organisation, Job Futures Limited trading as CoAct as well as a volunteer Treasurer for local charity Hunter Homeless Connect.

She has Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Newcastle, is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australian and New Zealand, a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has successfully completed executive study with MIT Sloan, Stanford University and the Melbourne Business School.