Morning Dialogue with Martin Westwell & Anam Javed

Morning Dialogue with Martin Westwell & Anam Javed

Tuesday 11th February 8.30am

Martin Westwell was appointed Chief Executive of the Department for Education in April 2022, following a successful 4 years as Chief Executive of the SACE Board.

Martin has worked extensively with education systems and other organisations in using evidence to inform policy, practice, innovation and impact in education. 

He was a Chief Investigator in the national Australian Research Council (ARC) Science of Learning Research Centre, and has worked with UNESCO using evidence to inform strategic planning of education in the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2018, Martin received the prestigious Australian Council for Educational Leaders’ (ACEL) Gold Medal, awarded for the most outstanding contribution to the study and practice of educational administration and leadership.

In 2007 Martin and his family moved to South Australia where he took the position of inaugural Director of the Flinders Centre for Science Education in the 21st Century and then Strategic Professor in the Science of Learning at Flinders University. 

Martin completed his degree and PhD at Cambridge University and was a Research Fellow at Lincoln College, Oxford University in biological chemistry.

Anam Javed is the Manager – Learning within the Teaching Excellence Division at the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership, where she works within a team to curate high-quality professional learning from a cross-sectoral and innovation-focussed approach . Anam has undertaken a range of educational leadership roles over her teaching career, and is passionate about harnessing the potential of education to combat social inequity and improve access to opportunities for growth and success for students from all backgrounds.

Anam was the recipient of the ACEL New Voice in School Leadership scholarship in 2024, in addition to being inducted into The Educator’s Hot List for 2024. For her work in STEM, particularly with CALD communities, she was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women for 2023. Anam is also the recipient of the Jagajaga Volunteer Champions Award for her community work within her local council, and for her service to the wider community, she was awarded the Premier’s Victorian Service Award. Anam is a proud Muslim woman who moved to Australia from Pakistan on her own at the age of 18. Through her own lived experiences of systemic racism as a young adult migrant, she has become immensely passionate about championing the rights of marginalized communities, in the hope of building a truly multicultural society where her young children can thrive and belong.