MUSSE

University of Melbourne graduate Dr John Daley has been appointed Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Grattan Institute.

By Christina Buckridge

University of Melbourne graduate Dr John Daley has been appointed Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Grattan Institute, the new national public policy institute being established in Melbourne.

The University of Melbourne is one of the four founding members of the Institute along with the Commonwealth of Australia, the State of Victoria, and BHP Billiton.  It is Australia’s first independent, non-aligned and evidence-driven public policy think tank.

The Institute’s foundation Chairman Mr Allan Myers said that the search for the CEO was extensive and international. 

“We interviewed widely both within Australia and overseas, but what particularly impressed the panel was Dr Daley’s passion for public policy  – his strong desire to be involved in how ideas are generated and used to enhance the lives of people from all parts of society.”

Well-regarded as a brilliant and creative thinker about public policy with a broad career spanning government, academic and corporate sectors, Dr Daley is a graduate of the University of Melbourne in Law (Hons) and Science.  He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1999 with a DPhil in public law.

His experience spans policy, academic, government and corporate roles at the University of Melbourne, the University of Oxford, the Victorian Department of Justice, consulting firm McKinsey & Company and most recently at ANZ.

His particular strengths are in public law and economics.  As an Engagement Manager of leading global strategic management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, Dr Daley worked on a number of issues that are central to Australia’s economic future including 3G telephony, historic drivers of economic performance, biotechnology and industrial organisation. 

Dr Daley comes to the Grattan Institute from a position as Managing Director of Australia’s second-largest online stockbroker, E*TRADE at ANZ.  He devised an ambitious new strategy for E*TRADE, resulting in it becoming a key part of ANZ’s wealth strategy.

To support its independence and provide a substantial basis for its future operations, the Grattan Institute has received a substantial funding endowment.  The Commonwealth and Victorian State governments have each contributed $15 million, with the University of Melbourne and major corporations also contributing significant funds. 

Over the next few years it is expected the Grattan Institute will build up an endowment in excess of $50 million to provide a permanent independent source of funds.

Mr Myers says the opportunities for the Institute to inform and shape public policy in Australia are boundless. “As an independent, non-aligned and evidence-driven public policy think tank, its impact will be felt in all the important debates on how to meet Australia’s great challenges and opportunities,” he said. 

“The Institute will have a key role in Australian public life.  Its ambition is to lead on key public issues, particularly those which are under-represented in public debate, or where key information is not widely understood.”

Initially, the University of Melbourne will provide interim premises in Grattan Street, Carlton, with the University committed to housing the Grattan Institute in permanent premises in a new signature building from 2011.