Craig Barling
Partner, Melbourne
I advise universities and education providers on mergers, restructures, strategy, and AI transformation, drawing on more than 25 years of experience spanning corporate finance advisory and senior university leadership.

Craig brings a unique combination of corporate finance expertise and senior executive leadership having held transformational roles across both the higher education and corporate sectors..

Craig's deep experience as a senior university executive means he understands the commercial realities universities face from the inside. He has worked on major reform initiatives, including strategy development, international and offshore expansion, new campus models, and the implementation of AI. He can support universities and education providers as they navigate significant sector transformation – including changes to student journeys finance reform, and organisational restructuring .

Before joining MinterEllison, Craig served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Student Services and Operations at UTAS, having previously held the roles of Vice-President for Strategy, Finance & Marketing and Chief Strategy Officer. Prior to his university career, Craig was a senior executive at News Corp and a corporate finance partner at a Big 4 firm.

Career highlights

University of Tasmania:

  • Reshaped UTAS's entire organisational structure and professional workforce — implementing the new College model, Professional Services hub model and advising on more efficient governance.
  • Established the Schools' Recommendation Program, which has transformed higher education access for Year 12 students in Tasmania.
  • Advised on the creation of University College, the UTAS pathway entity, which has doubled student numbers since its inception .
  • Led substantial teams in higher education, covering finance, strategy, marketing, transformation, information technology, facilities management, infrastructure development, legal services, risk and student services.
  • Reshaped the budget model and financial planning activities for the university to deliver on its $1B capital program.