Aruna Sathanapally has been appointed CEO of Australia’s leading public policy think tank, Grattan Institute.
Dr Sathanapally is currently Executive Director, Macroeconomy, at the NSW Treasury, where she previously led the Revenue division, the NSW Intergenerational Report, and health and justice reform. A former barrister, and management consultant with McKinsey & Company in London, she did her masters in law and doctorate at the University of Oxford as a Menzies Scholar and a John Monash Scholar.
The Chairman of the Grattan Institute Board, Lindsay Maxsted, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to appoint someone of Aruna’s calibre, intellect, and standing.
‘The Board is confident that under Aruna’s leadership, Grattan will continue to build its position as a permanent institution in Australian public life, to the benefit of present and future generations.’
Dr Sathanapally becomes the third CEO of Grattan, following the inaugural chief executive, John Daley (2009 to 2020), and Danielle Wood, who departed at the end of last year to become Chair of the Productivity Commission.
Dr Sathanapally said: ‘Grattan Institute is Australia’s independent public policy powerhouse, so it’s an honour to take on this vital role.
‘I know from experience that Grattan has a well-earned and enviable reputation in government and beyond for intellectual rigour and innovative thinking.
‘Grattan’s Program Directors – Tony Wood in Energy, Peter Breadon (Health), Jordana Hunter (Education), Brendan Coates (Economic Policy), and Sam Bennett as head of the new Disability Program – are all recognised leaders and experts in their field.
‘I can’t wait to start working with them and the Institute’s highly motivated research staff, to identify and advocate for better public policy in the interests of all Australians.’
Dr Sathanapally will start at Grattan in late February.
