We have a tradition at IPAA Queensland of hosting the most senior and respected public sector stewards ‘on the couch’. This is the concept behind our popular Stewards on the Couch series.

Earlier this year, we were pleased to continue the tradition with Damien Walker, who sat down with us just a few months into his appointment as the Director-General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC).

With more than two decades of experience in senior leadership roles across many jurisdictions, Damien shared thoughtful reflections on strategy, industry development, the role of DPC and public policy – highlighting the importance of stewardship and purpose-driven leadership in today’s ever-evolving public sector landscape. His openness about challenges, pivotal career moments and personal growth resonated strongly with our attendees.

In a wide-ranging interview with IPAA Queensland Councillor, Gemma Hodgetts, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Health and Wellbeing Queensland, the session explored Damien’s leadership journey, his career in public service, and his vision for Queensland’s future.

Early career reflections

Damien reflected on his early career, commencing as a graduate in the South Australian sector and the value brought to his career from gathering experience in diverse environments, including regional and metro settings, as well as project, operational and policy divisions. He also shared thoughts on the diverse and meaningful career that the public sector can provide.

Early career reflections (continued)

He went on to reflect on the importance of mid-level roles, describing them as the engine room of the public service – where trusted and skilled public servants play a pivotal role in shaping outcomes and ensuring things get done.

A day in the life of the DG, DPC

Jump forward more than two decades. What does a day in the life of the DG of the Department of Premier and Cabinet look like? Damien offers some rare insights into life in the top public sector job in Queensland.

The greatest challenge for Queensland

From wicked problems to thought leadership for government, Queensland faces some complex challenges as the new government gets its feet under the desk. And what do we expect of our future senior leaders?

Achieving gender equity in leadership

A strong advocate for more women in public sector leadership, for Damien a big part of the solution comes down to what men in senior leadership roles can do.

An exciting unplanned career

An insightful question from the floor offered the observation that often, our ‘stewards on the couch’ say that they never planned to land one of the most senior leadership roles in Queensland. An observation true to Damien’s career too. He offered his reflections on this intriguing point. Key question – Is it challenging, impactful and fun?

The person behind the job

The conversation was not all serious. Our moderator, Gemma Hodgetts, took Damien through a rapid-fire Q&A (i.e. think text or call, leadership in three words) giving us a better sense of the human behind the role.

Mr Damien Walker was appointed the Director-General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in late 2024. Most recently Damien was the former Chief Executive of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in South Australia, a role held since early 2022.

His distinguished public sector career spans more than two decades of senior leadership roles across multiple jurisdictions with a focus on strategy, industry and public policy. He was formerly Director-General of the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, in the Queensland Government. In his various Director-General roles, he drove economic growth and job creation and successfully led Queensland’s delivery of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

His background also includes senior executive roles in the South Australian Government in infrastructure planning and delivery, investment facilitation, contract management and reform implementation. Damien has also served on a number of boards in the areas of economic development, trade and investment.

Above all, Damien is passionate about gender equity in the workplace and the prevention of domestic and family violence. He is also driven to deliver initiatives to create opportunities for First Nations people. Damien holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Planning, and further academic qualifications in property and planning.

Stewards on the Couch is a regular and highly popular feature of IPAA’s annual event program, where one or more chief executives is joined by a respected journalist or facilitator ‘on the couch’ for an informal, conversation-style interview.

These events provide the IPAA community an opportunity to learn more about the influences, priorities, and core values of stewards leading public purpose work along with the key challenges and opportunities facing their organisation and/or sector. Guests are invited to stay for networking and refreshments after the interview.