Professor Tim Bentley, Stan Perron Chair in Business Ethics
Professor Tim Bentley, from the School of Business and Law (SBL), has been appointed to the Stan Perron Professorial Chair in Business Ethics.
The Stan Perron Professorial Chair in Business Ethics, supported by the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, is one of five such positions within Western Australian universities, recognising business leaders who have demonstrated a significant commitment to furthering the cause of ethical business practice.
The appointment will enable Professor Bentley to undertake a program of research, teaching and engagement focused on building board and top management commitment to championing healthy and respectful workplaces.
"I was thrilled by this appointment, as this is a perfect opportunity to focus my research efforts on helping leaders build ethical and respectful organisational cultures," Professor Bentley said.
"It is an honour to have this opportunity in the latter part of my career to apply all I've learned over almost 30 years to advance a really worthy mission."
Professor Bentley's career spans two decades of research leadership through many senior roles, and his work has influenced government policy and organisational practice in Australia and New Zealand. He joined Edith Cowan University (ECU) in 2019 and until recently held the Professorial Chair in Mining Work Health and Safety, as well as being the Director of ECU's Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Centre within SBL. Prior to this, Profesor Bentley served as the Director of the ECU Centre for Work and Wellbeing.
Doing the right thing ethically is also in the best interests of the organisation.
ECU's multidisciplinary MARS Centre, part of a multi-million-dollar partnership between ECU and the Western Australian State Government, works directly with the Western Australian mining industry in a push to develop mentally healthy workplaces and foster a culture of respect in the mining industry.
In his roles as Director of the MARS Centre and Mining Work Health and Safety Professorial Chair, and now as Stan Perron Chair of Business Ethics, Professor Bentley has led a program of research focusing on creating healthy workspaces and building respect in the mining sector. Professor Bentley is currently collaborating with researchers from SBL and the MARS Centre to develop evidence-based tools and approaches which aim to build competencies empowering leadership to create more ethical and respectful organisations. These include the Directing Safety in Mining capability toolkit and the Respect 365 digitised toolkit (both to be released in July).
A living legacy
Stan Perron AC (1922 – 2018) was a prominent business leader and philanthropist. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1995 for "service to business and commerce and to the community"; he was also posthumously appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Australia Day Honours in recognition for "eminent service to the community through philanthropic contributions to a range of charitable organisations, and to the commercial property sector".
The Stan Perron Charitable Foundation champions the values of integrity, respect, excellence, teamwork and compassion.
