Professor Emma Sparks is an experienced leader in education and Defence, having worked for over twenty years across the sectors. In her current role as Rector and Dean of UNSW Canberra she leads the strategic direction and delivery of education, research and innovation supporting the development of future leaders across defence, industry and the public sector. As a systems engineer focused particularly on systems thinking and human systems Emma has championed the development of non- traditional routes to higher education and the importance of STEM pipelines having led the first Masters level apprenticeship in Systems Engineering in her previous role as Director of Programme and Portfolio Delivery, Deputy Director of Education, and Head of the Centre for Systems and Technology Management at Cranfield University in the UK. She is a member of the International Council on Systems Engineering, part of the BKCASE/SEBOK governing board and was a contributor to the INCOSE 2035 vision. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was recognised as one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering in the UK in 2018.