ANU appoints new Director of Public Policy and Societal Impact

ANU has appointed senior public servant Sean Innis as its inaugural Director of Public Policy and Societal Impact, to drive the University's engagement with the public policy community. Mr Innis has worked in senior executive roles across several national government departments and has wide ranging policy experience. He joins ANU from the Productivity Commission, where he has been its special adviser since 2016. Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt AC congratulated Mr Innis on his appointment, and said his experience in senior public policy roles made him a great match to lead the new ANU Public Policy and Societal Impact Hub. Professor Schmidt said as the national university, ANU had a strong focus on world-class research and of shaping the public policy decisions that impact on Australia and the world. "Because of our unique history, mission and location, public policy is in the DNA of our University," Professor Schmidt said. "The unprecedented ANU links to government offer unrivalled capacity for our researchers to translate their work into outcomes that will benefit Australia and beyond.