Jane O'Leary

Professor Jane O'Leary is an Australian expert in evidence-based diversity and inclusion (D&I) workplace practice. Her career has focused on translating academic research into highly trusted, widely used evidence-based guidance for Australian workplaces. She has spent over twenty five years conducting rigorous industry research that has helped shape the national D&I debate and employment practice.

Professor O'Leary currently serves as the Research Director at the Centre for Indigenous People and Work (CIPW), a joint initiative of the UTS Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research and the UTS Business School. CIPW's vision is to reclaim the Indigenous employment narrative through rigorous, industry-based Indigenous-led research. She was appointed as the inaugural Research Director at the CIPW in 2025 for a fixed two-year term. Her primary mandate is to work with Professor Nareen Young, CIPW Director, Joshua Gilbert CIPW Assistant Director and CIPW's External Advisory Council of Indigenous employment leaders to establish a rigorous, industry, and community-based research function, ensuring the Research Director position is handed over to an Indigenous researcher in two years’ time.

Prior to joining UTS, Professor O'Leary was the Research Director at Diversity Council Australia (DCA), an independent, not-for-profit workplace diversity advisor to business in Australia. She established DCA's strategic research function in 2009, and led DCA's research work for 16 years, enabling DCA to grow its reach and impact with employers and government and build a reputation for the quality of its evidence-based advice. This industry research has had methodological and policy influence, with DCA research being drawn on by the Australian Public Service Commission, the Australian Human Rights Commission, and numerous industry sectors.

While at DCA, Professor O'Leary worked with Dr Virginia Mapedzahama, Juliana Nkrumah AM and Astrid Perry OAM to secure and design R.I.S.E. R.I.S.E. is a collaborative project between DCA, Settlement Services International (SSI) and Chief Executive Women (CEW) and is funded by the Australian government Office for Women 2022-2026. RISE is working with 25 organisations across Australia to implement organisational change interventions that will help address systemic and organisational barriers for culturally and racially marginalised women in leadership.

Prior to DCA, Professor O'Leary worked in the Australian Public Service at the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) (1997–2001). She held the senior policy position responsible for developing the policy framework for interpreting and administering the amended Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986. In recognition of her work in this government role, she was awarded the Centenary Medal for Significant Contribution to the Australian Public Service in 2001.

Prior to this, Prof O'Leary worked in the Queensland University of Technology at the (then) Academic Staff Development Unit and was co-author of the highly cited government commissioned report, Developing Lifelong Learners Through Undergraduate Education, which identified and described how undergraduate education could be designed to develop lifelong learners.