In touch with … Charlie Lees

Before academic life – and a recent sweep of international media coverage commenting on various Northern Hemisphere elections – Professor Charlie Lees was a successful musician in the UK, and he admits that becoming the first member of his family to attend university was a “traumatic life event”.

What journey brought you to this point in your career?

I was a professional musician for the first 10 years of my adult life, living in London and then West Berlin. I reluctantly went to university at 28 but have never looked back. I have studied or worked at- one ‘post-1992’ UK university with a large proportion of students and staff from racially diverse and/or under-represented backgrounds (Thames Valley University); four ‘1960s expansion’ universities in the UK (Essex, Warwick, Sussex, Bath) and one in Australia (Flinders); and three traditional ‘red-brick’ Russell Group universities (Birmingham, Leicester, Sheffield). Through this journey, I’ve worked with many fantastic colleagues and I think that diversity of experience in different universities has helped broaden my outlook over the years.

What does your current work focus on?

As Dean (People and Resources) in the College of Business, Government and Law, I oversee the development, management and performance of academic staff, and support the Vice-President and Executive Dean in the strategic leadership and planning for the College. I contribute to cross-University governance as a member of University Senate and Vice-Chair of the University Infrastructure Committee, as well as one or two other committees. I also represent the University externally as a member of the Board of Management of the Don Dunstan Foundation.

Can you describe a challenge in your life and how you dealt with it?

Leaving the music industry in my late twenties was a traumatic life event. I had never wanted to do anything else except music and had a reasonably successful career, which was a lot of fun along the way. I was the first in my immediate family to go to university, but it involved a loss of identity and income, and I had a difficult couple of years. In retrospect, it transformed my life and I’m grateful to have found a second career that I genuinely love. My experience has left me with a strong sense of the transformative potential of education.

What does a normal day look like for you?

I oversee academic operations, including staff supervision, industrial relations, Workplace Health and Safety, infrastructure investment, budgetary oversight, and so on. This means I spend a lot of time talking to people and learning from them. I also try to keep up my research at the weekends and in the evenings.

How do you like to relax?

Our family loves to go for yum cha at the weekend – Star House is the kids’ favourite place to go. I also like to cook and have become a barbecue tragic since moving to Australia – we have three barbies and I have my eye on an offset smoker for Christmas! I swim every day and try to keep up my 10,000 steps a day. I’m a season ticket holder at Adelaide United and try to see the mighty Norwood Redlegs play in the SANFL when I can. I still like to play and program music when I get the chance and do the odd thing with the UK industrial dance music outfit Salford Electronics.

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College of Business Government and Law