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ACU appoints new Chief Operating Officer

Mr Patrick Woods has been appointed as Australian Catholic University’s new Chief Operating Officer.

Mr Woods will join ACU in December from TAFE NSW where he is currently Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining TAFE NSW in 2022, Mr Woods was Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice President at UTS for 16 years.

Patrick was born in Canada and raised as a committed Catholic by his father who was educated by the Jesuits in Montreal.  After starting his career as a Naval Officer in Canada, Mr Woods went on to gain extensive international business experience leading complex organisations in developing strategies, structures and governance to maximise their potential.

At UTS he led the development of, what was then, the first 10-year long term finance plan for an Australian university. This supported UTS’s subsequent growth and further academic success as well as the largest and most comprehensive campus rebuild in the country.

At TAFE NSW – the largest training organisation in the southern hemisphere with more than 400,000 students – he has led innovative branding and marketing, continuous improvement approaches, improved governance structures, performance monitoring disciplines, and is delivering one of the world’s largest PeopleSoft student management system implementations.

In announcing his appointment, ACU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Zlatko Skrbis said he was delighted to be welcoming Mr Woods to ACU.

“His experience and knowledge will be of enormous benefit to the university as we implement our new 10-year strategic vision. He brings extraordinary leadership experience in driving large scale programs and transformation initiatives, along with a strong financial and commercial focus.”

Mr Woods said he was excited by ACU’s mission and vision, particularly the focus on enabling flourishing lives, fostering thriving communities and forging an ethical future that Vision 2033 brings.

“The ethos and mission of ACU is something that I can truly relate to and support,” he said.

Mr Woods holds an honorary doctorate from UTS, an MBA from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Guelph. He holds a number of board positions and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an Associate Chartered Practicing Accountant.

Mr Woods and his family are based in Sydney. He will take up his position on 2 December and will be based at the university’s North Sydney Campus.