Victor Callan

Victor Callan AM is Professor of Leadership and Organisational Change at the University of Queensland (UQ) Business School in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law. His research investigates a variety of factors impacting on organisational change, leadership performance and employee training, and he is one of Australia's most recognised researchers in these fields. In terms of recognition by external bodies, Victor has been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, a Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for his significant service to higher education in the field of management as a researcher and adviser to Government and industry. Within UQ, Victor has been awarded the University's Award for Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervision for the quality of outcomes associated with his PhD supervision. In addition, he is a recipient of two UQ Excellence in Leadership Awards for his roles in developing strong research, consulting and industry partnerships. Victor is a regular contributor to executive education for senior managers and executives in the public and private sectors in Australia and internationally. He has completed over 100 projects as an adviser for Federal, State and local government departments including major reviews on employee skills, vocational education and training, major industry closures and workforce development. He has also completed organisational and workforce development projects internationally, including for governments and organisations in South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Indonesia, Bhutan, Brunei, New Zealand, PNG and for South Pacific countries. Currently his major teaching activities at UQ are in courses associated with MBA students, and students in the Bachelor of Advanced Business Honours program. In 2025 as one of the four Chief Investigators, he has begun his 14th Australian Research Council (ARC) project, in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), Mimal Land Council, and Indigenous women's groups across northern Australia. Organisational Change, Leadership and Skills Development 1. Organisational Change and Leadership Special interest in employees' and leaders' experiences with large scale organisational change, examining their levels of adaptation, personal capabilities, as well as the communication and team dynamics. 2. Employee Skills, Capabilities and Training Examinations of effective responses to skills development and shortages, including strategies around recognition of prior learning, e-learning, new models of apprenticeships and strategies to assist displaced older workers, training and retraining including downsized employees, and the skills of leaders and chairpersons required of corporate boards.

[2026] Leading for gender equality. Fitzsimmons, Terrance. W., Yates, Miriam. S. and Callan, Victor. J. (2026). Leading for gender equality. Australian Journal of Management, 51 (3), 776-798. doi: 10.1177/03128962251338335 [2026] Co-creating impact: positioning Indigenous knowledge holders as expert researchers. Fitzsimmons, Terrance, Yates, Miriam S., Jordan, Ree and Callan, Victor J. (2026). Co-creating impact: positioning Indigenous knowledge holders as expert researchers. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 45 (3), 538-553. doi: 10.1108/edi-09-2023-0315 [2025] Beliefs about the origins and achievement of gender equality: A qualitative inquiry among adolescents attending elite single-sex schools. Yates, Miriam S., Fitzsimmons, Terrance W., Callan, Victor J. and