In 1992 she attended the International Program for Executive Development in Switzerland.[4]
Career
After graduating, Livingstone joined the accountancy firm of Price Waterhouse, working in both Sydney and London. She then held several accounting and management roles at Nucleus Ltd, finally reaching the position of chief executive, finance, before being made the CEO of one of its subsidiaries, Cochlear Limited, in 1994.[5] In January 1995 she was appointed a director of Cochlear (UK) Limited, and in December 1999 of Cochlear Europe. She resigned from both positions in September 2000.[6]
In 2000, she was appointed chair of Telstra Corporation, a position she retained until 2016.[1]
In January 2001 she became a member of the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) board. In November 2001 she was appointed chair, a position she retained until December 2006.[1]
Livingstone was an independent voting director of the Macquarie Bank and the Macquarie Group from November 2003 to July 2013.[6]
On 22 January 2008, it was announced that Livingstone would be a member of the panel conducting the review of Australia's national innovation system.[9][10]
From 2013 until 2013 she was on the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council,[1] and in March 2014, was elected president of the Business Council of Australia for a two-year term, replacing Tony Shepherd.[11][12] She was succeeded by Grant King in November 2016.[13]
Livingstone replaced David Turner as chair of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) in January 2017.[14] In November 2018 she gave evidence at the Banking Royal Commission about her predecessor's poor performance and the lack of transparency in how the bank dealt with following up his refusal to repay 40% of his annual fees. She said that she knew that she had risked her professional reputation in joining the board, but had been determined to change its corporate culture.[15] She retired after nearly six years in the position, in August 2022.[16][17]
Non-executive directorships
From 2007 until 2013, Livingstone was a non-executive director of the NSW Innovation and Productivity Council.[1]
She joined the board of WorleyParsons as a non-executive director in July 2007, and was still a member of the board as of November 2017[update][18] but left sometime between then and December 2023.[19]
From 2013 and as of 2024[update] Livingstone is patron of the Australian Design Innovation Network,[17] an initiative led by CSIRO, the UTS Business School, and the Design Innovation Research Centre. She has also supported various UTS research initiatives and been involved in industry bodies, think tanks, and forums on behalf of UTS, including the launch of the UTS Centre for Corporate Governance in 2003.[4]
2008: Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2008, "for service to the development of Australian science, technology and innovation policies, to the business sector through leadership and management roles and as a contributor to professional organisations"[22][1]
2014: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business, UTS, "in recognition of her commitment to leadership in design integration, science and technology innovation, corporate governance and her continued support of the advancement of women in business"[4]
2014: Honorary Doctor of Letters, The University of Sydney[17]
2024: Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), "for eminent service to business, particularly through governance and strategic reform, to tertiary education, to science, technology and innovation capability development, and to the arts"[25][1]
