Michelle Gillespie

Michelle has more than 32 years of student administration experience in the tertiary sector, spanning both Higher and Vocational Education. 

Before joining Victoria University as the Chief Student Officer, Michelle was the General Manager of Timetabling and Scheduling at TechnologyOne, where she led a global team, provided strategic direction, and maximised customer-led opportunities. 

Other leadership roles have included 11 years at Swinburne, where she had responsibility for the University Libraries as well as Student Administration and delivered a 21% improvements in the Student Experience Survey. Michelle also worked at the University of Melbourne for 12 years, including the Manager of the Timetabling, Department and Student Centre Manager, and as the Change and Training Manager of the Student One implementation team.

Earlier in her career, Michelle was the Timetable Manager at Victoria University, responsible for implementing Syllabus Plus and transforming the timetabling process from spreadsheets to a technology run system.

Michelle is also the co-chair of the TechnologyOne Student Management Customer Executive Committee, a member of the Council of University Librarians (CAUL), a member of the CAVAL Products and Services Committee and the My eQuals Management Committee.

A strategic leader of industry best practice service initiatives, notable achievements include designing two innovative operating models devised to drive excellence in student experience. Specialising in customer service, Michelle has the vision to tackle things differently to achieve ambitious outcomes.