Courtenay Atwell

Courtenay has led a wide range of senior executive and governance appointments across higher education, education and the public sector, including Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Council and Board Director appointments, as well as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Vice-President, Executive Dean and other university executive leadership searches. She has also delivered searches for School Principals across government, independent and Catholic education, together with senior public sector appointments including Departmental Secretaries and agency heads. She has extensive experience managing complex, high-profile appointment processes, partnering closely with governing bodies, boards and selection committees to identify leaders who can navigate transformation, enhance organisational performance and advance institutional and community outcomes.

Prior to joining Korn Ferry, Courtenay spent more than 12 years in the higher education sector. Her experience includes leadership roles at UNSW Sydney with UNSW Gonski Institute, UNSW Law’s Centre for Continuing Legal Education, and UNSW China International Business and Economic Law Centre. She also taught in the UNSW Business School for seven years, providing her with firsthand insight into the opportunities and challenges facing contemporary universities.

Courtenay is a strong advocate for diversity, inclusion and equitable access to education. Her combination of executive search expertise and deep sector experience enables her to bring a thoughtful, informed and highly consultative approach to leadership appointments.

She holds a PhD from the UNSW Business School, a Master of Business Law from UNSW and a Bachelor of Commerce from the UNSW Business School.