Meet Fiona Turner, orangutan lover, solo parachute jumper, and new Executive Director of COLV
Fiona Turner is passionate about creating exceptional student experiences. She has held a series of senior tertiary positions, heading up operations and public programs for Swinburne University of Technology, and running regional campus operations for the Australian Institute of Management. She now joins the College of Law Victoria as its Executive Director.
“I have over ten years’ experience of working in senior leadership roles in both for and not for profit sectors, the last five of which have been in executive education,” said Fiona. She prides herself on dreaming big and implementing plans to effectively achieve those dreams.
“One of my key strengths is being able to see the bigger picture, identify opportunities for growth and improvement, and create the vision for the team. You then need to drill down to the detail and implement the operational process to bring that vision to life. This skill has enabled me to successfully transform the businesses that I have led.”
A customer-centric approach to education
Central to her success has been her focus on the customer.
“As a consumer, customer service is one of the most important factors for me,” Fiona said. “I always seek to embed a customer centric approach into the organisations that I lead. I am passionate about creating exceptional customer service.”
As a leader, Fiona believes in empowering her team.
“My leadership style is very collaborative and I believe it is important to give individuals a level of autonomy and control over their roles,” said Fiona. “I find this to be the most effective way of encouraging people to expand their skills and understanding, whilst also harnessing their existing knowledge and experience to allow for innovation and continuous improvement of our workplace.”
Providing graduates with practical skills
As a veteran of Australian tertiary education, Fiona is well aware that graduates need strong practical skills to complement theoretical knowledge.
“My vision is for the College of Law, Victoria to be the partner of choice for the educational and development needs of Victoria’s current or aspiring legal professionals and law firms,” said Fiona. “I want to build strong relationships with the legal profession, to ensure that our portfolio of products align to their needs, and with universities, to ensure that we collectively provide graduates with the theoretical and practical skills required to gain access to the legal profession.”
Essential to this aim is instilling a culture of excellence among staff.
“I want to continually strive to create an environment that enables our customers to grow both professionally and personally," said Fiona.
Naval photographer, orangutan lover, parachute jumper
In defiance of Australia’s declining local population, Fiona comes from an unusually large family.
“My dad is one of twenty, and my mum is one of ten!” said Fiona.
She is also an avid netball player, having progressed from the local league to representing the County of Shropshire and the Royal Navy. Indeed, it was during her time as part of the Womens Royal Naval Service that Fiona spent six years as a qualified photographer.
Fiona is also fond of orangutans.
“I ticked off a bucket list item last November when I saw orangutans in the wild in Borneo,” she said.
Ever the adventurer, Fiona has also leapt out of a plane - solo.
“It was terrifying!”