Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Contract Type:
Location: Flexible
Industry: CEO & General Management
Contact Name: Simon Holloway
Contact Email: sholloway@derwentsearch.com.au
Contact Phone: +61 3 9691 1300
Date Published: 06-Aug-2026
Few things matter more to Australia than the quality of its governments. McKinnon exists to build better governments and a stronger Australia, developing political leadership, strengthening the public sector and democracy, and advancing policy solutions to some of the country's most important challenges.
The role
Independent, with significant resources and a clear mandate to act, McKinnon works across political divides to improve the systems, institutions and leadership that shape Australia.
McKinnon does more than fund research or advocate for promising ideas. They bring together government, evidence and implementation expertise, and work alongside their partners through the difficult process of turning an idea into results.
The person
You have led at the top, and you are ready for your most consequential work yet. Work that will outlast you, for the generations that follow. You are as at home in a party room as in a boardroom. You can carry a conviction across the political divide. You judge your own work by what changed after you left.
This is where your leadership finds its purpose.
Our work and impact
McKinnon works across four connected areas: developing and celebrating political leadership; strengthening public-sector capability; renewing Australia's democracy; and advancing policy innovations that can deliver better outcomes at scale.
McKinnon's best known work includes the McKinnon Institute and the McKinnon Prize for Political Leadership. Recently they have scaled their investment in democracy through a public facing campaign, and advanced policy innovation in areas including education and economic reform.
Begin with a converstation, in confidence
Simon Holloway
Managing Partner
sholloway@derwentsearch.com.au
Sharne Bryan
Partner
sbryan@derwentsearch.com.au
Additional Information
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The role
Independent, with significant resources and a clear mandate to act, McKinnon works across political divides to improve the systems, institutions and leadership that shape Australia.
McKinnon does more than fund research or advocate for promising ideas. They bring together government, evidence and implementation expertise, and work alongside their partners through the difficult process of turning an idea into results.
The person
You have led at the top, and you are ready for your most consequential work yet. Work that will outlast you, for the generations that follow. You are as at home in a party room as in a boardroom. You can carry a conviction across the political divide. You judge your own work by what changed after you left.
This is where your leadership finds its purpose.
Our work and impact
McKinnon works across four connected areas: developing and celebrating political leadership; strengthening public-sector capability; renewing Australia's democracy; and advancing policy innovations that can deliver better outcomes at scale.
McKinnon's best known work includes the McKinnon Institute and the McKinnon Prize for Political Leadership. Recently they have scaled their investment in democracy through a public facing campaign, and advanced policy innovation in areas including education and economic reform.
Begin with a converstation, in confidence
Simon Holloway
Managing Partner
sholloway@derwentsearch.com.au
Sharne Bryan
Partner
sbryan@derwentsearch.com.au
