Jennifer Westacott has been Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia since 2011, bringing extensive policy experience in both the public and private sectors.

For over 20 years Jennifer occupied critical leadership positions in the New South Wales and Victorian governments. She was the Director of Housing and the Secretary of Education in Victoria, and most recently was the Director-General of the New South Wales Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources.

From 2005 to 2011 Jennifer was senior partner at KPMG, heading up the firm’s Sustainability, Climate Change and Water practice and its NSW State Government practice. Jennifer was also a board director for the firm. During her time at KPMG, Jennifer advised some of Australia’s major corporations on climate change and sustainability matters, and provided advice to governments around Australia on major reform priorities.

Jennifer facilitates the contribution of the Business Council of Australia’s CEO members across a policy agenda that includes economic policy and competitiveness; regulation; infrastructure and sustainable growth; labour market, skills and education; engagement with Indigenous Australians, global engagement; healthcare policy; and innovation.

Jennifer coordinated the development and release of the BCA’s landmark Action Plan for Enduring Prosperity in 2013, which is widely recognised as one of the most significant contributions to economic policy debate in Australia in recent years.

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of New South Wales, where she is an Adjunct Professor at the City Futures Research Centre. She was a Chevening Scholar at the London School of Economics.

Jennifer is a National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and since 2013 has been a Non-Executive Director of Wesfarmers Limited and Chair of the Mental Health Council of Australia.