Ms Lisa McDonald

As Centre Manager at the Australian Centre for Child Protection, Lisa provides leadership across operations, partnerships and project management, with a focus on business growth, communications and strategic development for the Centre. This includes developing and growing key intitiatives and programs for national and international markets and exploring opportunities for future research, partnering and collaboration.

Lisa has over 25 years of international experience in business growth and development, operations management, partnership management and development, and marketing and communications management.  She has worked across a variety of industries across the private and not-for profit sectors, and has managed multi-site business operations internationally.  Locally, she has developed and managed contracts, projects and business services for organisations across a wide variety of industries, successfully delivering to client needs.

Qualifications

• Master of Arts (OrgComm) University of Charles Sturt

• Graduate Diploma in Organisational Communication University of Charles Sturt

• Bachelor of Business University of South Australia

Work history

As Partner, Corporate Engagement and Development, Lisa supports the University’s academic staff to develop long-term partnerships of value with industry. This involves a focus on understanding market and industry needs and aligning these with the strengths and capabilities of the University.  This increasingly entails developing institutional partnerships across divisions and disciplines.

Through developing and managing the Innovation to Business and Northern Business Research Partnerships program over recent years, Lisa has assisted organisations to connect with innovation, research and university expertise, as well as funding opportunities to help drive organisational and industry competitive advantages.

Lisa has over 20 years of international experience in business growth and development, operations management, and marketing and communications management.  She has worked across a variety of industries across the private and not-for profit sectors, and has managed multi-site business operations across the United Kingdom.  Locally, she has developed and managed contracts, projects and business services for organisations across a wide variety of industries, successfully delivering to client needs.

Working in the University sector for the past 8 years across marketing and partnership development, predominantly in supporting the University’s research agenda, Lisa understands how best to support researchers to develop industry relationships - through an early understanding of organisational needs and aligning these with dynamic university expertise.