From HR Manager to running a prison, to working as a Sheriff, Angela Gransden has held an impressive array of senior manager and executive level positions. 

With 20 years experience in Human Resources within the public sector, the last 16 years working in the justice portfolio, Angela plans to utilise her skills and knowledge in her new role as Head of People and Culture at SuniTAFE to embed the values and continue to make SuniTAFE a great place to work. 

Angela moved to Australia from Germany at the age of 5 and has always lived in Adelaide until her recent move to Mildura. 

“I was really impressed with some of the things I learnt about SuniTAFE when I was prepping for the interview, such as the Values and the work on the new Strategic Plan so I am excited to be the new Head of People and Culture,” Angela said. 

When Angela first left school she dreamed of working as an architect but at the time she wasn’t in the position to attend university, so she found a job in a drawing office and studied at TAFE. 

“I started working at the Highways Department (now known as the Department for Infrastructure and Transport) and enjoyed studying part time at TAFE achieving an Associate Diploma in Survey Drafting, while working fulltime,” Angela said.

“After finishing my Associate Diploma, I was encouraged to do engineering but that would have been a six-year course so instead I completed a Masters in Business Administration.”

Throughout Angela’s life in the workforce, she has had several careers. 

“I’ve worked in a drawing office, I've worked as a senior and executive level HR professional, I've commissioned major infrastructure projects, I've ran a prison. I was a COVID coordinator for all the South Australian prisons during 2020 and I have led the Sheriff’s Office, through their Cultural Change Program,” she said. 

While working for the Department for Correctional Services, Angela held several roles including 

• General Manager of the Adelaide Womens Prison/Pre-Release Centre, 
• Director, Operational Support and Performance, 
• Director Operational Commissioning and 
• Director Workforce Management. 

“Just before coming to SuniTAFE, I was running the Sheriff’s Office in South Australia; with responsibility for court security, jury management, civil enforcement, in court support, prisoner management and judicial security,” Angela said. 

“As Sheriff I was responsible for leading a significant cultural change program for the Sheriff’s Office, involving uniform and civilian staff of 175 people, 80 contractors, following a Parliamentary Review 

“One of the strengths I bring to this role is I’ve been a senior / executive HR practitioner for 20 years and in the last eight years, I‘ve worked in senior leadership positions.”  

“I have now come back into a HR role and feel much more informed about the other side.” 

Angela’s move to Mildura was one for love, with her long-distance partner having lived in Sunraysia for the past five years. 

“When the opportunity for a job here came up, I thought it was the ideal time to move to Mildura,” she said. 

“There were two reasons I was interested in the role; having been a senior leader working with the HR from the business side, I thought, you know, it's a new role, that is a really exciting environment. There's a lot of change and I really felt that I had a lot to offer.

“I have been through lots of corporate restructures, cultural change programs and I have a good public sector grounding. I was really impressed with some of the things I learnt about SuniTAFE when preparing for the interview. I am really impressed with the work around the values and it’s exciting to have Brett as the new CEO and a new strategic plan.” 

Angela explains what she envisions her new role will involve. 

“The role is much more a strategy role, not the day-to-day transactional HR, which is very important, but instead a focus on the development of people and culture strategy to underpin the strategic plan,” she said.

“There will be an opportunity to consolidate how HR interface with staff, really make staff feel supported through the values, focus on respectful behaviors, courageous conversations, health and safety programs, really looking at those critical workforce shortages and skills for the future and having a focus on growing our own. 

“It’s exciting for me to come in at Executive HR level at SuniTAFE and one of my priorities is about people wanting to come to work here and valuing working here. 

“We have some amazing staff and I want to retain them, build on their capabilities and succession. Many people tell me they really enjoy working here and I want to continue to make it a place that people want to work at and continue to retain staff by being flexible and giving people really good opportunities and having amazing leaders.” 

Angela said she has an open-door policy, and she welcomes all and any ideas staff may have, or just come and say hello and chat. 

To learn more about the other members of the SuniTAFE Executive Leadership Team visit https://www.sunitafe.edu.au/about/executive-leadership-team/