Frederik Anseel appointed Dean of UNSW Business School

The internationally recognised expert in organisational behaviour has commenced his role following an extensive global search.

UNSW Sydney Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs has announced Professor Frederik Anseel as the new Dean of UNSW Business School.

With a background in psychology, Prof. Anseel is a world-leading authority in the fields of organisational leadership, learning and wellbeing. He joined UNSW Business School in 2019, and was most recently Interim Dean. Prior to that he led the operations of the faculty’s seven schools and the Centre for Social Impact, and has held various leadership positions at universities in Europe.

Prof. Brungs said Prof. Anseel’s extensive local and international business leadership experience, coupled with his vision and reputation for bringing academia and industry together, positioned him well to advance the UNSW Business School to its next phase of excellence, success and impact.

“Frederik is not only an excellent academic leader but a truly outstanding academic. His renowned research in organisational psychology is exemplified by being cited more than 10,000 times, and published in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, American Psychologist and Psychological Science. His research has also been featured in international media such as Harvard Business Review, Science, Nature, Financial Times, Australian Financial Review and the Guardian.

“I am delighted to confirm Frederik in the position of Dean and look forward to working with him and the Business School leadership team to cultivate the exceptional possibilities of our academic community, while preparing our students with the skills to excel in an ever-evolving landscape.”

Lifelong learning and careers with impact

The UNSW Business School offers diverse programs, including undergraduate and postgraduate research, and Australia’s top-rated MBA at its Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM).

Prof. Anseel said he’s honoured to accept the role of Dean and looked forward to the opportunity.

“UNSW Business School already has the reputation of graduating the most employable students and we’re very proud of that. But that is only the beginning. We need to go beyond making students job-ready and help them make an impact. As Dean I will strive to ensure the Business School is a lifelong learning partner throughout their careers.

“Our motto – ‘Ideas that matter. Careers that matter’ – is what it’s all about. Our students come from diverse backgrounds. We are here to change lives and help students on their journey to build rewarding, impactful careers.

“As a researcher, adviser and keynote speaker, I am also a strong advocate of the importance of meaningful connections with industry. I believe we need to ‘get out of the building’, as that is the only way to develop and test ideas that truly matter to the world,” Prof. Anseel said.

“Today’s big societal challenges all require different disciplines coming together, from health care to engineering, to the sciences and the arts. The future of business schools lies in their capacity to develop interdisciplinary partnerships and become a knowledge broker across the academic-practice divide.” 

Before joining UNSW, Prof. Anseel held various leadership positions at universities in Europe, including as Vice Dean at King's College London and Head of Department and Talent Management Advisor to the Rector at Ghent University in Belgium. He also held visiting positions at ESSEC Business School in France, Bocconi University in Italy and University of Groningen in The Netherlands. Prof. Anseel served as the President of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology for five years and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in the United States.

Prof. Anseel will commence in the role immediately.