The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board is delighted to announce that accomplished transformational leader Sally Curtain has been appointed as the next Chief Executive of our state’s largest and most representative business organisation.
Sally will commence in the role at a date to be determined before 1 September 2025, taking over from Paul Guerra, who will remain with the Victorian Chamber to deliver the 14th World Chambers Congress from 2 to 4 September 2025. Paul will then commence his new role as Melbourne Football Club CEO.
Sally Curtain will join the Victorian Chamber from her current role as Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), bringing significant experience in leading transformational change across state and local government, as well as business enterprises. Sally understands the work of VCCI including through BKI’s Committee for Melbourne membership and her role as an inaugural Champion of our globally-recognised women in business program, Chamber Change.
BKI is an integrated skills organisation leading TAFE delivery and skilled migration assessments. It operates in the commercial market as a Victorian Government Enterprise. At BKI Sally has driven an ambitious strategy and organisational transformation program, realised with BKI being named 2022 Victorian and Australian Large Provider of the Year. It has doubled in size during Sally’s tenure, including the $60 million Bendigo City Campus revitalisation Project and the $60 million Kangan Institute Health and Community Centre of Excellence in Broadmeadows.
Prior to her appointment as BKI CEO, Sally successfully led organisational and operational changes within diverse and complex agencies. This included restructuring the former Department of Justice to better meet the needs of regional communities, creating new agencies such as the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, scaling up services to a burgeoning population in City of Casey and operating as a regulator to modernise registration and licensing at Victoria’s largest service provider, VicRoads.
In 2022 Sally was made a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (Victoria) for her outstanding contribution to public administration and exemplary service to the Victorian community.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Chamber President Adrian Kloeden:
“The Victorian Chamber Board is thrilled to have secured someone of the calibre of Sally Curtain as our next Chief Executive to continue the Victorian Chamber’s proud and impactful work representing our state’s business community.
“Sally brings purpose-led and future-fit leadership attributes, strategic vision and a transformational approach that aligns with our direction and will be warmly embraced by our team, members and clients. Our talented and committed Executive Team looks forward to supporting Sally.”
Quotes attributable to Sally Curtain:
“As a highly motivated female leader, I am honoured and excited to be named the Chief Executive of the Victorian Chamber. I have spent my career solving complex problems, driving change and harnessing every opportunity – I can’t wait to lead the Victorian Chamber into this next chapter of its prestigious 174-year history.
“My ambition is to position the Victorian Chamber for the future – supporting business to adopt AI, empowering and equipping young and new business owners to succeed and responding to the needs of business in growth areas will be among my areas of initial focus.
“I thank the Board for having faith in me and I look forward to working with them. Paul Guerra is someone who I admire and respect: he leaves some extremely big shoes to fill and I am grateful to him for his service – as a member I know exactly how fortunate business has been to have him in our corner.”
Contact details:
Mikkayla Mossop, [email protected], 0423 883 945
