Leonie Tickle is Professor of Actuarial Studies and Executive Dean of Macquarie Business School.

The Executive Dean of the Macquarie Business School provides strategic and operational leadership of the business school and its academic and professional staff. This includes research activity and outputs, grant income and management, the activity of its research centres and research training. The role also involves accountability and responsibility for student experience, curriculum integrity, teaching quality, accreditations and external engagement. The Executive Dean is a member of the University Executive and contributes to the management of the wider University, and the achievement of its strategic vision.

Leonie is an internationally recognised scholar in the fields of actuarial science and demographic forecasting, and the first female actuary professor in Australia. She has published in the highest-ranked international journals in her field including Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Scandinavian Actuarial Journal, Annals of Actuarial Science – where she co-authored the highest-cited paper in the journal’s history – and Population Studies; is the recipient of two national research awards; and has held various major industry-funded national and international research projects. An award-winning educator, Leonie has received a national teaching award and four Vice-Chancellor’s teaching awards, and served as the Australian representative on the international Actuarial Education Committee.

Leonie has worked with an array of industry, external and professional networks and is a passionate advocate for inclusion in business education, transdisciplinary research collaboration, and partnering for impact in research and education.

Leonie completed a BEc (Actuarial Studies), graduating at the top of her class, and a BA from Macquarie University before completing the Fellowship of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia qualification. She previously held the leadership positions of Deputy Dean, Research and Innovation and Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching at Macquarie University Business School, before being appointed as Executive Dean in November 2024.