Institute of Public Administration Australia (ACT) Limited

Katherine is Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department, commencing August 2021.

Prior to her appointment as Secretary, Katherine was the Associate Secretary of the Department of Defence. She was appointed to that position in June 2020, where her portfolio included oversight of the Chief Information Officer, Chief Finance Officer, Deputy Secretary of Defence People and Deputy Secretary of Estate and Infrastructure. In addition, Katherine was responsible for Defence enterprise planning, performance and risk management functions, and the integration of all corporate enabling services which included the delivery of the Defence Transformation Strategy and the Defence Data Strategy.

Before joining the Department of Defence, Katherine was the Deputy Secretary for Business Enabling Services in the Department of Finance. She held that role since October 2017. Katherine has practical experience in delivering shared services in government and was responsible for delivering whole of government digital systems to support collaboration and customer service, including the innovative GovTeams platform.

In 2017, Katherine received a Public Service Medal for her outstanding contribution in the field of national security.