TEQSA Commissioner recognised for outstanding leadership
TEQSA warmly congratulates our Commissioner Adrienne Nieuwenhuis on receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 South Australian Training Awards.
Ms Nieuwenhuis was honoured for her long-standing contribution to education and training nationally at a gala presentation by The Hon Andrew Giles MP, Federal Minister for Skills and Training.
Dedicated to strengthening quality and equity across VET and higher education, Ms Nieuwenhuis has held key national leadership roles, including Acting Chief Commissioner of TEQSA and member of the South Australian Skills Commission.
She joined TEQSA as a Commissioner in 2021, and prior to that was the Director of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at the University of South Australia and the Director of Quality, Tertiary Education, Science and Research in the South Australian Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology.
Ms Nieuwenhuis was an inaugural member of the Higher Education Standards Panel (2011–14) and the National Skills Standards Council (2011–13). From 2013 to 2025, she was also a member of the South Australian Skills Commission and chair of its Traineeship and Apprenticeship Sub-Committee.
With over 30 years’ experience in tertiary education, Ms Nieuwenhuis has been a member of various state and federal committees and working parties associated with tertiary education.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented in recognition of an individual’s outstanding leadership and contribution to the South Australian VET and skills sector.
Their leadership and contributions are linked to an innovation, new knowledge, or ways to improve professional practice deemed to be above and beyond the everyday, with a long-lasting impact within the sector.