Phil Leersen

Phil Leersen is the current Executive Director of Northern & Southern Campus Transformation at University of Tasmania. Prior to this, they spent 10 years with Fairfax Media, most recently as General Manager - Tasmania. In this role, they were responsible for 200 Tasmanian employees and $50 million in annual revenues.

Leersen has been instrumental in transforming Fairfax Media from newspaper businesses to contemporary multi-media organisations. These trusted brands now provide content via daily newspapers, smartphone apps, websites, M-sites, social media and digital editions. This increased the audience and expanded the organisation’s reach and relevance.

Under their leadership, Fairfax Media has won numerous awards, including Newspaper of the Year at the PANPA Awards (2010 and 2011) and Best News Website at the ASTRA Awards (2013).

Leersen is a graduate of the University of Tasmania and has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Deakin University.

Phil Leersen has a background in business and has completed a number of executive education programmes from well-renowned universities. Phil has a Certificate in Business Excellence from Columbia University, a Leadership, strategy and change management from Melbourne Business School, a Diploma - Mastering the Boardroom from Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Certificate IV in LEAN Management from Australian Maritime College, a Graduate Certificate in Business from University of Tasmania, an MBA - Professional (Regional Innovation) from University of Tasmania and a Graduate Certificate of Management from University of Tasmania. Phil is currently completing a Diploma in Governance from Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Phil Leersen reports to Jane Beaumont, Executive Director, Legal and Audit. They work with and Pennelope Ratcliffe - Deputy Chief Operating Officer.