The Anthea Kerr Award is awarded in honour of Anthea Kerr who passed away suddenly at 38 years of age. At the time of Anthea’s death, she was an Assistant Director General at the Department of Finance and Services, a role which was the culmination of an outstanding career of over 16 years in the NSW public sector. Anthea was a wonderful mentor and a great supporter of the Young Professionals Network.
The award is to recognise future public sector leaders. Individuals can be nominated for the Anthea Kerr Award if they are under 35 years of age as of 1 July 2026. It will be awarded to people who exhibit in their work a deep commitment to public sector values and identified leadership potential – attributes that Anthea exemplified throughout her working life.
The NSW Premier’s Department will offer the Anthea Kerr Award recipient an opportunity to undertake a set of accelerated bespoke development activities tailored to their needs. These activities should be undertaken between 12 – 18 months of the awarded date to support the winner in their career development.
Below you will find details of some of the activities this award can offer (depending on development needs):
- participation in a full day executive development centre culminating in an individual report and debrief with the recipient and their mentor
- a bespoke development program based on the outcome of the executive development centre and aspirations of the recipient
- access to a professional coach
- opportunity to attend an executive education program
- a designated Premier’s Department contact to facilitate program elements