Dr Steven Kennedy PSM
Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Dr Steven Kennedy PSM commenced as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in June 2025.
Steven was previously Secretary to the Treasury between September 2019 and June 2025. Prior to this, Steven was Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development between September 2017 and August 2019.
In a public service career spanning more than 30 years, Steven has held a series of other senior positions. These include Deputy Secretary at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; Deputy Secretary at the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science; Deputy Secretary at the Department of the Environment; Deputy Secretary at the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, and the Head of Secretariat of the Garnaut Climate Change Review – Update 2011.
Steven’s first role in the Australian Public Service came in 1992 as a cadet at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Before this, he trained and worked as a nurse. Steven was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2016 for outstanding public service in the area of climate change policy.
Steven holds a PhD and a Master of Economics from the Australian National University, and a Bachelor of Economics (First Class Honours) from the University of Sydney.
Martin Hehir PSM
Deputy Secretary, Governance and Corporate
Martin Hehir PSM commenced as Deputy Secretary of the Governance and Corporate Group in January 2024.
Before joining PM&C, Martin was the Deputy Secretary of Workplace Relations, where he led the delivery of key government legislation on workplace relations, family and domestic violence leave, protection of workers’ entitlements, and work health and safety measures.
Martin has held senior roles including Deputy Secretary of Employment Services at the Department of Employment and Deputy Secretary of Schools and Youth at the Department of Education. In these positions, he oversaw the implementation of the Jobactive employment services program and played a pivotal role in developing the Australian Education Act 2013.
Martin has also held leadership positions within the ACT Government, notably as Director-General of the Community Services Directorate.
He holds a degree in Economics from the Australian National University and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.
Blair Exell
Deputy Secretary, Social Policy
Blair Exell commenced as Deputy Secretary, Social Policy Group, in February 2025.
Prior to this, Blair was Deputy Secretary, Health Strategy, First Nations and Sport Group at the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing between October 2022 and February 2025.
Blair began his career in non-government organisations in Cambodia and Vietnam before moving to the APS in 1998 where he has held senior roles for the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (with deployments and postings to PNG, Cambodia, Solomon Islands and Indonesia), Department of the Prime Minister And Cabinet (PM&C), National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) and Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA).
Blair has led and delivered policy and program reforms at the federal and international level particularly focussed on social policy. Blair has also led emergency responses domestically and internationally including natural disasters and pandemic responses, including serving on the UN WHO and GAVI Executive Boards.
Blair has a Bachelor of Economics from the Australian National University.
Nadine Williams
Deputy Secretary, Economy, Industry and Resilience
Nadine Williams commenced as Deputy Secretary Economy, Industry and Resilience Group in February 2023.
Nadine has been a senior leader in the Australian Public Service and state government for almost 30 years. Prior to joining PM&C, Nadine was the Deputy Secretary of Skills and Training at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations where she led national workforce and vocational education policy to strengthen Australia's skills base and align training systems with the needs of a modern economy.
Nadine has led and delivered policy relating to Australia’s skills systems, communications, the National Broadband Network, First Nations economic development, environment and agricultural policy, and regulatory and competition reform.
Nadine holds degrees from the University of Tasmania, University of Sydney and the Australian National University, including a Master of Public Administration.
Kendra Morony
Acting Deputy Secretary, AUKUS Group
Kendra Morony commenced as Acting Deputy Secretary AUKUS in November 2025.
Kendra been a senior leader in the Australian Public Service working across Defence, intelligence and domestic national security for over 20 years.
Kendra has led and delivered strategy and policy in relation to cyber security, intelligence, national resilience, and Defence operations and activities, as well as delivering civil maritime capability. She has also been an adviser to the Minister for Defence and represented the Government on postings in Washington DC and the Middle East.
Kendra holds a Masters in Strategic Policy and a Graduate Certificate in Intelligence from the University of New South Wales, and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons Geography) from the University of Adelaide.
Elly Lawson
Interim Deputy Secretary, International and Security
Elly Lawson commenced as interim Deputy Secretary of the International and Security Group in November 2025.
Prior to this, Elly has had a long career at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, most recently as the Deputy Secretary of the Strategic Planning and Coordination Group. She has previously served as First Assistant Secretary of East Asia Division, as well as the head of the Indonesia Program Delivery and Timor-Leste Branch, Economic Counsellor in Jakarta, First Secretary Political in Beijing and several years in the China political section.
Elly began her public service career as a China analyst at the Department of Defence and at the Office of National Assessments after working in Beijing as a reporter for the Economist Group and as a translator.
She studied modern and classical Chinese at Durham University in the United Kingdom.
Padma Raman PSM
Executive Director of the Office for Women
Padma Raman PSM commenced as the Executive Director of the Office for Women (OFW) in September 2023.
Prior to joining PM&C, she was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety Limited (ANROWS) from 2021. In her time as CEO, Padma established ANROWS as the widely recognised leading authoritative voice on evidence to end violence against women and children.
Before ANROWS, Padma was the Chief Executive of the Australian Human Rights Commission for 11 years. Prior to that she established and was Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Law Reform Commission for 9 years and served as a part-time commissioner of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission for 5 years.
Padma has a wealth of experience as a senior executive at both the state and federal level, and in 2018 was awarded the Public Service Medal (PSM) for outstanding service leading significant cultural, technological and governance change. She has a Master of Laws by research focusing on the experiences of immigrant and Indigenous women under the Australian legal system.
Padma is also appointed by the Commonwealth Government as an independent member of the ANU Council and further serves on the Students Safety and Wellbeing Committee of Council.
