Chancellor, Torrens University and Think Group
Jim Varghese AM is the National Chair and Director of the Australia India Business Council Ltd and the Chairman of the Leadership Company Qld Pty Ltd. Jim Varghese was appointed as the Chancellor of Torrens University and Think Group in January 2022. He is also currently Executive Director of the Springfield Land Corporation and was the Chief Executive from 2008 -2012. Prior to 2008 Jim completed an outstanding 30-year career in the public sector that included experience as a Chief Executive in leading government agencies covering Transport, Main Roads, Education, Training, Employment and Primary Industries in both the Victorian and Queensland public sector. He has an exceptional track record as a Chief Executive capable of running multifaceted businesses with a determined focus. He is particularly adept at delivering excellent and innovative results against a challenging and continuously changing environment. Jim has been granted the award of Fellow of these professional organisations: Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA), Australian Institute of Management, Royal Institute of Public Administration and Australian Marketing Institute. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). Jim Varghese is on the board of MindHive Pty Ltd, and was Deputy Chair and Director of the Puuya Foundation Ltd (serving the indigenous community of Lockhart River in North Queensland) for over 15 years. He is now the male patron of the Puuya Foundation. Jim served for over three years as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland. He has also served on the Council of Queensland University of Technology, the Senate of University of Queensland and the Council of the University of Southern Queensland. He has served on the Council of the Victoria Institute of Technology and is a Director of Trade Investment Queensland. In 2017 Jim Varghese was commissioned by the Queensland Government to chair an independent review of the personalised transport industry in Queensland. This review resulted in reforms to the taxi industry and the regulation of Uber. In 2019 Jim completed a report commissioned by the Australian government and Red Meat Advisory Committee to recommend changes to the red meat industry to meet the challenges of the twenty first century. Jim has been appointed by the Qld Government to conduct an independent review of the governance arrangements of the Qld Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) with a completion date of April 2022. Jim has a Bachelor of Arts (with honours) and Bachelor of Divinity from the University of Queensland. He holds a Master of Business Administration and a Diploma in Education from the University of Melbourne. He was awarded an Honorary Research Fellow by the University of the Sunshine Coast. In addition, Jim was awarded the Centenary Medal and the Order of Australia for services to the public sector and community.