The Vincent Fairfax Fellowship gives senior Australian professionals the tools to deal with complex dilemmas and lead with moral courage.
Presented by Cranlana
What would leadership look like with ethics at its core? This question is central to the mission of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership — and it was already on Deb Yates’ mind when she was invited to participate in the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship.
This year-long program equips senior Australian professionals to confront ethical dilemmas, apply decision-making frameworks and lead with moral courage. As Chief People Officer of Lendlease at the time, and key custodian of culture for more than 9000 team members, Yates was motivated to accept.
“I had been thinking about the future of work, the impact of technology, the importance of ethics and why good people can still make such terrible decisions, which felt quite incremental at the time,” she says. “During the program, I learned so much about how to create a truly safe space for moral disagreement and how to tidy up tricky conversations, which someone in my line of work does a lot.”
The Vincent Fairfax Fellowship brings together senior leaders from some of Australia’s most respected organisations, creating a powerful cross-sector community of practice. The cohort model has earned a strong reputation as a trusted program across Australia’s key sectors, including finance, infrastructure and health.
The program fosters collaboration between organisations that consistently invest in cultivating principled, values-driven leadership across the nation.
Insights in practice
As an example of the fellowship’s principles in action, Yates cites the challenges that flowed on from the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, enabling states to set their own abortion laws.
“I was Global Chief People Officer at Lendlease at the time and employees across America had very different opinions on what we should do as an employer,” she says. “We navigated this differently because I was halfway through the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship. Where we landed was, while we acknowledged there’s space for everybody’s perspective, we considered this to be a healthcare issue — and we believe women have a fundamental right to healthcare.”
Celebrating a 30-year legacy
The Vincent Fairfax Fellowship was established in 1994 to honour Sir Vincent Fairfax (1909–93), a distinguished Australian businessman and philanthropist who believed a good society is secured through the calibre of its leaders.
To celebrate this 30-year anniversary, Cranlana, in partnership with the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, has created an interactive digital magazine capturing the fellowship’s legacy and its impact on ethical leadership in Australia.
Find out more.
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