5 days ago
New Canberra Institute of Technology CEO hired after Leanne Cover found guilty of corrupt conduct
The Canberra Institute of Technology has appointed a new chief executive a year after Leanne Cover resigned and was found to have engaged in corrupt conduct in her handling of consultancy contracts.
Dr Margot McNeill, the Chief Product and Quality Officer at TAFE New South Wales, and will take over the top job on June 18.
Her appointment comes after a lengthy national recruitment campaign to fill the vacancy left by Leanne Cover.
An ACT Integrity Commission investigation found Ms Cover guilty last June of "serious corrupt conduct" for failing to consult with the board about a series of multi-million-dollar contracts.
Ms Cover spent two years on paid leave during the investigation, receiving her annual salary of more than $360,000.
The commission's investigation is ongoing.
CIT board chair Kate Lundy said she was confident the appointment of Dr McNeill as the new CEO would help guide the institute through its next chapter.
"It's been a bit of a rough trot for CIT over the last little while — we are so ready to turn a corner with this exciting announcement," Ms Lundy said.
The public vocational education provider has about 18,000 course enrolments each year.
It is grappling with ongoing financial challenges and posted a deficit of more than $21 million in 2024.
A long and disruptive IT outage this year has also put pressure on staff and students.
Despite the challenges, Dr McNeill said she was excited to be taking over at a "pivotal time" for CIT.
"Especially if there's difficulty from how the staff perceive the institution, then that's a really good opportunity to turn around the culture," she said.
Dr McNeill said she was committed to transparency and intended to be a highly visible presence on campus.
She said her goal was to innovate the curriculum to better equip students for the modern workforce.
"We need to make sure that our students have not only the technical skills that they need but also those future focused skills like digital skills and leadership and problem solving," she said.
CIT's new flagship Woden campus will open next month after years of development.
