Chief Executive Officer

About the Doherty Institute

The University of Melbourne – a world leader in education, teaching and research excellence – and the Royal Melbourne Hospital – an internationally renowned institution providing outstanding care, research and learning – partnered to create the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute). It is a centre of excellence where leading scientists and clinicians collaborate to find solutions to prevent, treat and cure infectious diseases and better understand the immune system.

Under the expert stewardship of Director, University of Melbourne Professor Sharon Lewin, a leading infectious diseases expert, the Doherty Institute has more than 700 staff who work on infection and immunity through a broad spectrum of activities. This includes discovery research; diagnosis, surveillance and investigation of infection outbreaks; and the development of ways to prevent, treat and eliminate infectious diseases.

The Institute is located in the heart of the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct and, through its 30 Precinct Partners (which include major hospitals, universities and research institutes), delivers outstanding clinical care and education, and undertakes world-class biomedical research. Together the Precinct Partners employ around 28,000 people, including 10,000 researchers, contributing around A$3.6 billion to Victoria’s gross regional product. The impact of the Precinct goes far beyond geographical boundaries with collaborations and impact extending to other universities, hospitals and research organisations locally and globally.

The brief

In 2021, the decision was taken that the Institute should appoint an Independent Chairperson This role would supersede the previous arrangement, where the Chair function was shared between the joint venture partners on an annually alternating basis. Brooker Consulting undertook a publicly advertised campaign to identify candidates, and Martyn Myer AO was ultimately appointed.

The Doherty Institute subsequently determined that a new entity should be established, to spearhead the clinical development of intellectual property emanating from the organisation’s research efforts. Doherty Clinical Trials Ltd was duly established, with Dr Deborah Rathjen as the inaugural Chairperson. Brooker Consulting won the brief to recruit the CEO in a competitive pitch, and the process commenced, following comprehensive briefing discussions with all stakeholders.

The outcome

Dr Andrew Brockway emerged from a high-quality shortlist as the preferred candidate, and reference checking confirmed his appointability. He came to Doherty Clinical Trials with a stellar record in orchestrating global investigations as a senior manager in the world’s largest Contract Research Organisation.