Director, Woodleigh Institute

Australia Hub | AUSTRALIA

Dr. Richard Owens is the Director of the Woodleigh Institute, a global innovation lab dedicated to understanding and enhancing transformative approaches to learning and leadership. The institute has a special interest in regenerative education and the role it can play in building the capacity of young people to contribute to the thriving of people, places, and our planet.

Richard has over 25 years of experience in teaching, senior leadership, and innovation roles. He has previously served as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, university lecturer, Deputy Head, and Head of School, and was the founding director of an international centre for leadership and learning in Singapore. He has worked with teachers, school administrators, academics, system leaders, regional executives, and academics from Australia, Asia, North and South America, and Europe.

Richard currently serves several networks focused on systems change in education. He is the Convenor of ReimaginED, a unique, participatory conference series that aims to develop our collective capacity to address complex challenges in education. He is the Convenor of the Compassionate Systems Collective, the Australian hub of a global ecosystem of educators advancing deep change in education through a focus on systems awareness. Richard is also a member of the Capabilities for Life faculty group at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA).  The group’s mission is to transform the way capabilities, skills, behaviours, mindsets, and values are nurtured, focusing on connecting people’s needs with those of the planet.