Celebrating leadership, service and public purpose in 2026

Celebrating leadership, service and public purpose in 2026

IPAA Victoria recognised its 2026 National Fellow and Victorian Fellows, and celebrated the First Peoples Leader Scholarship recipient, at the Fellowship Awards and First Peoples Leader Scholarship Celebration on Thursday 29 October at the Immigration Museum.

The event brought together around 70 public purpose leaders, colleagues, families and supporters for an evening of recognition, reflection and face-to-face connection.

Recognising public service and investing in future capability

In her keynote address, Jenny Atta, Secretary of the Department of Health and IPAA Victoria Board President, reflected on the often unseen but significant contribution public servants make every day through thoughtful advice, evidence-informed policy, effective implementation, quality services and good governance.

While this work may not always be visible, Jenny emphasised that it strengthens institutions and contributes to better outcomes for the community over time. She highlighted the importance of recognition in making this contribution visible, building professional pride and showing how integrity, inclusion and commitment to the public interest are put into practice throughout a career.

She encouraged leaders to look beyond the demands of today and invest in tomorrow’s capability. This means creating opportunities for formal and informal professional development and mentoring, and creating workplaces where people can contribute their experience, challenge established thinking and continue to grow.

Bringing this message to life, Jenny shared a story from her time at the Department of Education. During a visit to a primary school in Mildura, she was paired with a student named James who proudly showed her around the school, telling her about the plans for a new playground why that would make such a difference for the school. At the end of the tour Jenny asked what made his school special, and James’ answer was “everyone has a growth mindset”.

For Jenny, the experience was a simple example of a strong institution: one with a shared belief that people across the organisation understand and can all articulate.

A Welcome to Country grounded in service and responsibility

Wurundjeri Elder Jason Tweedie welcomed guests to Wurundjeri Country and reflected on leadership as service to community. He spoke about listening, learning, helping others succeed and creating opportunities for future generations, and encouraged guests to continue building a future grounded in truth, respect and genuine partnership.

Congratulations to our 2026 recipients

The evening celebrated a National Fellow, four Victorian Fellows and the recipient of the First Peoples Leader Scholarship. Hearing directly from each recipient offered practical reflections on leadership, collaboration, reform, inclusion and service.

Tegan Smirl

2026 First Peoples Leader Scholarship recipient

Tegan reflected on the influence of Aboriginal leaders in her family and community, who taught her to maintain relationships through difficult conversations, remain grounded in community values and keep working for better outcomes. She described the scholarship as an opportunity to develop personally and professionally.

Simon Corden

2026 National Fellow

Simon spoke about the importance of mentorship and peer support. Drawing on workplaces that invested in developing people, he encouraged leaders to put time and effort into growing their teams rather than focusing only on managing upwards or responding to the external environment.

Frances Diver

2026 Victorian Fellow

Frances reflected on the strength of regional collaboration. She described how trust and close professional networks across health, local government, education and other services help leaders respond quickly and deliver better outcomes for their communities.

Dr Phuong Pham

2026 Victorian Fellow

Phuong shared three lessons from leading health reform: recognise that no one person holds all the expertise in a complex system; meet resistance with curiosity rather than defensiveness; and remain flexible about the path while staying clear about the outcome.

Elizabeth Langdon

2026 Victorian Fellow

Elizabeth spoke about what genuine listening requires when working with victims of crime. She emphasised the need for structured, careful and sustained engagement, particularly when people have experienced trauma and may distrust the state and stressed that listening must lead to action.

Craig Robertson

2026 Victorian Fellow

Craig reflected on the role of vocational education and training in creating opportunity. He spoke about its importance for people preparing for work, retraining after disruption, overcoming educational disadvantage and moving between school, work and further education.

Continuing the conversation

The celebration highlighted a shared responsibility across the public purpose sector: to recognise sustained contribution, invest in emerging leaders and create the conditions for people and institutions to thrive.

IPAA Victoria thanks the Awards Advisory Committee and First Peoples judging panel, the nominators who put forward this year’s recipients, and our members, partners and supporters. We also thank our event partner, the Victorian Public Sector Commission, for its ongoing support.