Our Founder Bernadette O’Connor

Our Founder, Bernadette O’Connor
Vale Bernadette (d. 6 July 2025)

Bernadette O’Connor, founder of Management Governance Australia, CEO of Workforce Plus Inc, Chair of the Australian Renewables Academy and Executive Chair of DEC Housing, passed away in July 2025. We continue to honour her life, leadership and legacy.

For more than 40 years, Bernadette dedicated herself to strengthening communities across Australia — championing employment, education, disability inclusion, governance, accessible housing and renewable‑energy workforce development. Bernadette was known for her strategic insight, progressive values and her rare ability to turn policy into good practice.

Bernadette’s influence lives on in the organisations she built and the people and communities she championed. While we continue to feel her loss, the leadership and governance of the MGA Group and its related entities remain stable and committed to carrying her work forward with the integrity, expertise and enthusiasm Bernadette brought to everything she did.

Continuing Bernadette’s Legacy

This collection brings together Bernadette’s writings and reflections, offering practical insights and enduring guidance for Boards, CEOs, senior managers and community leaders. Her words continue to inspire our work and shape the systems and communities she cared for deeply.

This collection shines a light on guidance, reflection and strategic wisdom penned by our founder and former Executive Director, Bernadette O’Connor, who passed away on 6 July 2025. Across decades of leadership in education, employment services and training, disability inclusion and accessible housing, governance, renewable energy, workforce development and more, Bernadette dedicated her life to forging just, responsive, and resilient communities across Australia.

Here, you will discover a rich trove of writings— informed by Bernadette’s extraordinary intellect, unwavering values, and a rare ability to turn policy into practice—offering enduring insights for Boards, CEOs, Senior Managers, and community leaders alike.

As we continue our work guided by the principles she championed—integrity, collaboration and social justice—we invite you to explore these articles and be inspired by Bernadette’s vision and legacy.