The people, firms & allegations at the centre of UOW's ICAC inquiry
A guide to Operation Scandi's key players
What began with whistleblower complaints, ICAC searches of university offices and a parliamentary inquiry is now heading to a public corruption hearing.
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will later this month open Operation Scandi, an investigation into allegations concerning recruitment processes, consulting contracts and conflict-of-interest management at the University of Wollongong.
For many in the Illawarra, the names involved are already familiar. Others have emerged through parliamentary hearings, leaked documents and months of public scrutiny surrounding the university’s governance.
The University released a statement Tuesday night saying it has been co-operating fully with the NSW ICAC throughout its investigation and acknowledges “the gravity of these allegations. The University understands the public interest in this matter, but will not be making any comment about the investigation while the hearings are underway,” a spokesman said.
Before the inquiry begins hearing evidence on June 22, here’s a guide to the people and organisations at the centre of the investigation.
What is Operation Scandi about?
Operation Scandi will examine allegations relating to governance recruitment processes, the awarding of consultancy work to Aspirall Consulting International, and the management of conflicts of interest involving former interim Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar and consulting firm KordaMentha.
The inquiry will also examine the conduct of several senior University of Wollongong officials in relation to those matters.
ICAC has made no findings and all allegations remain subject to investigation.
The key players
Alyssa White
The Chief Governance Officer and Secretary at the University of Wollongong (UOW). In early 2024, the UOW governance unit under her leadership underwent an external “Cultural Review”. In October 2025 she was elected as president of the Association of Australian University Secretaries.
She is a primary focus of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry, facing allegations of intentionally subverting recruitment processes for governance roles to benefit her associates. ICAC is also investigating whether she partially or dishonestly exercised her official functions to improperly award, or influence the awarding of, contracts to Aspirall Consulting.
Michael Still
Elected as UOW Chancellor in December 2023, Michael Still has a 30-year background leading public, private, and not-for-profit entities, with previous roles including Chairman of the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District and Chairman of the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct. His ties to UOW trace back to the mid-2000s when he managed the university’s Innovation Campus development as an executive for Baulderstone Hornibrook.
Recently, Still has faced intense scrutiny from a NSW Parliamentary Inquiry for allegedly operating in a “de facto executive capacity”. Evidence suggests he has worked up to 40 hours a week as Chancellor and centralised power by chairing multiple key subcommittees - including the Nominations, Performance and Remuneration, and Finance and Infrastructure committees. ICAC is currently investigating Still over allegations that he improperly influenced the award of work to Aspirall Consulting and failed to manage severe conflicts of interest regarding John Dewar and KordaMentha.
Professor John Dewar
Served as UOW’s interim Vice-Chancellor from June 2024 until February 2025, following the departure of Patricia Davidson. Before arriving at UOW, he served as the Vice-Chancellor of La Trobe University for 12 years. Dewar’s appointment is deeply controversial because he is a partner at the consultancy firm KordaMentha. While acting as the university’s interim chief executive on a nine-day fortnight, he was officially on “unpaid leave” from the firm but retained one day a fortnight to “keep in touch”. ICAC is investigating whether his employment represented an improperly managed conflict of interest.
KordaMentha Pty Ltd
A major consultancy firm that was engaged by UOW in July 2024 to conduct an enterprise-wide review of its operations and support a new operating model. The firm was ultimately paid over $3.8 million for this program of work, providing a “playbook” that underpinned large-scale staff redundancies at the university. Because interim VC Dewar was a partner at the firm at the time, this multimillion-dollar engagement is central to ICAC’s conflict-of-interest probe.
Aspirall Consulting International Pty Ltd
A strategy consulting firm that advises the boards and executive teams of private, multinational, and government entities. In 2024, Chancellor Michael Still recommended Aspirall to run staff and community workshops regarding the recruitment of a new Vice-Chancellor, noting that he had “used them successfully in the past”. ICAC is investigating whether UOW staff, including Still and White, improperly influenced the awarding of this work to the firm.
The Hon Helen Murrell SC
Commissioner Helen Murrell SC is the official presiding over the public inquiry for Operation Scandi, which is set to start on June 22, 2026.
Was appointed part-time Commissioner for a five-year term from August 7, 2022. Ms Murrell recently retired as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the ACT, a position she held since 2013. She was called to the NSW Bar in 1981 and appointed Senior Counsel in 1995.
Emma Bathurst
The Counsel Assisting the Commission for the Operation Scandi public inquiry. Professional records indicate she is an experienced legal practitioner who previously served as a member of the Human Rights Committee of the New South Wales Bar Association during 2016–20.
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