Sydney Leadership Accelerator Program

Professor Clinton Free

Professor Free has consulted to a variety of organisations in both the private and public sectors and has been involved with executive education for almost two decades. He has also won several teaching awards for teaching both undergraduate and post-graduate courses. He holds Commerce and Law degrees from UNSW and a doctorate from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar and has served on faculties and taught MBA courses at Oxford University (UK), Queen's School of Business (Canada), Cornell University (USA) as well as UNSW Sydney.

Professor Helena Nguyen

Helena Nguyen is a Professor in Work and Organisational Studies and co-director of the Body, Heart and Mind in Business Research Group at the University of Sydney Business School. She received her PhD and Masters of Organisational Psychology from School of Psychology, University of New South Wales. Helena's research is multidisciplinary and her interests include the role of emotions and cognition at work, human performance, work engagement and well-being.

Dr James Donald

James’ research interests centre on mindfulness and positive psychology in the workplace, including among leaders and emerging leaders. He is also interested in the influence of contextual factors such as technology, on well-being and performance in the workplace. James in passionate about bridging the gap between research and practice and engages regularly with organisations seeking to develop the resilience and self-awareness of their leaders and emerging leaders, using mindfulness-based approaches. Prior to his academic career, James worked for seven years in public policy with the Commonwealth Departments of Treasury and Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Professor Dan Caprar

A psychologist by training, Dan draws on extensive international exposure and diverse work experience. Before completing his MBA and PhD as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Iowa (USA), Dan worked in a range of consulting and managerial roles spanning several sectors (business, government, not-for-profit) and several countries (Romania, UK, USA, and Australia).

Building on several years of teaching experience, he designed and taught courses related to leadership development and cross-cultural competency across several programs (i.e., Undergraduate, Master of Commerce, MBA, Executive MBA, and Executive Education programs), both in Australia, and internationally (USA, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia). Besides teaching regular courses at the University of Sydney, Dan engages in independent customised learning programs and coaching sessions, with particular interest in contributing to initiatives that have a positive social impact.

Associate Professor Sandra Peter

Dr Sandra Peter (she/her) is the Director of Sydney Executive Plus and Associate Professor at the University of Sydney. Her research and practice focus on engaging with the future in productive ways, and the impact of emerging technologies and AI on business and society. Sandra has led strategic initiatives and worked on executive programs with business, research organisations, Government and Defence.

Professor Kai Riemer

Dr Kai Riemer (he/him) is Professor of Information Technology and Organisation and the Director of Sydney Executive Plus at the University of Sydney Business School. He has extensive experience with industry-funded research and is the co-director of the Motus Lab, which researches the application of AI-based digital human technologies in business and society. Kai’s expertise spans the fields of artificial intelligence, future of work, emerging technologies, and philosophy of technology.

Josephine O'Reilly

Josephine has substantial global experience in delivering workshops and individual sessions in communication and presentation skills with people in business at all levels, and is acknowledged as one of Australia’s leading improvisation trainers. Jo’s specialty is designing experiential programs where people in business and academia learn relevant performance skills to enhance their impact. She has worked for many years with NIDA’s corporate program, won the Outstanding Facilitator Award at UNSW Sydney and continues to work internationally across multiple industries.