Speaker Profile

Sally Capp was re-elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne in October 2020 – having previously been elected in May 2018 – and is the first woman to be directly elected as Lord Mayor.

Sally’s top priorities are setting the pace and driving a prosperous city economy, helping rough sleepers get more support and a pathway into secure housing, and ensuring Melbourne remains a global leader in environmental sustainability. She is committed to seeing Melbourne reclaim the title of the world’s most liveable city.

Sally is the current Chair of the Council of Capital Cities Lord Mayors, and also a member of the Federal Government’s Urban Policy Forum. In 2023, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the King’s Birthday Honours for distinguished service to the people of Melbourne, to local government, to business, and to the community through various organisations. She was also named the McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year in 2019.

Sally was the first woman to hold the post of Agent-General for Victoria in the UK, Europe and Israel. She has also served as the CEO for the Committee for Melbourne and Victorian Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia. A passionate Collingwood Football Club supporter, Sally made history in 2004 as the club’s first female board member.

Sally began her career as a solicitor, after completing Law (Hons) and Commerce degrees at the University of Melbourne. She has held senior roles at both KPMG and ANZ, and co-founded a small business, which she took to the ASX.

She is involved in a number of charities, currently sitting on the board of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, the Mary Jane Lewis Scholarship Foundation and the Melbourne University Faculty of Business and Economics.