Professor Brendan Murphy AC was Secretary of the Department of Health & Aged Care until 2023. Prior to this, he was the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for the Australian Government, where he led the initial national COVID-19 response and initiated the National Medical Workforce Strategy. Before coming to the Commonwealth, he was Chief Executive Officer of Austin Health in Victoria and prior to that a Nephrologist and Medical Researcher. He is currently a Non-Executive Director/Chair of a number of organizations, including Red Cross Lifeblood.