Julia L Page
veski MD & chief executive 2004 – 2024
Ms Julia L Page was appointed chief executive officer of veski in 2004 after a career spanning the public, private and philanthropic sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom. She concluded her tenure shy on two decades at the helm of veski.
Julia joined the veski board of directors in March 2017.
As veski’s MD & chief executive, Julia led the team responsible for the continued development and delivery of veski’s programs which included a prestigious fellowships program, an inspiring women program and a range of complementary skills, training and education activities. She demonstrated her unique ability to engage people at all levels and build partnerships which complement and extend veski’s programs and activities.
During her time with veski, she oversaw the growth and expansion of the prestigious innovation fellowship, the inspiring women fellowship and the sustainable agriculture fellowship programs and has been responsible for awarding 38 fellowships.
Julia also maintained a strong working relationship with the Victorian Government and established strong connections with national and international science and innovation communities. veski’s relationship with the Victorian Government resulted in the organisation being asked to deliver other Victorian fellowship and award programs on behalf of the Victorian Government between 2004 – 2024.
Julia’s passion for delivering diverse and inclusive programs – having delivered the veski inspiring women STEM sidebyside program and the veski inspiring women grants – career recovery and bridging the funding gap supported the careers of mid-career leaders in STEM and more recently through the Victorian Near-miss Award Pilot, supporting outstanding emerging researchers and future leaders and jointly addressing equity, diversity and inclusion by supporting the careers of groups who face systemic barriers to success.
Julia is actively involved in the community. From 2010 to 2015, she established and managed the LUCRF Community Partnership Trust in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. She also played an active role in the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust as Secretary from 2010 to 2017.
Julia contributes to the councils and committees of the Australian British Chamber of Commerce, St Vincent’s Hospital Foundation; Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre and Inspiring Australia – Vic. Julia is also a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In 2022, Julia was appointed as a member of the Project Governance Group overseeing the Study Melbourne Research Partnerships program and been appointed in an advisory capacity to the recently launched AgTech Seeds pre-accelerator program.
Julia relocated to Melbourne in 2000. She is trained as a technologist obtaining BSc (Hons) degree from the University of Essex, UK in Information Business Systems Technology and a postgraduate of Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government in Emerging Leaders Executive Education.