Major General Liz Cosson AM CSC (Retd)

General Cosson’s career has been shaped by her family history of military service.  As the great granddaughter of a war hero who fought on the battlefields of Gallipoli and died in the fierce battles of the Western Front, as the daughter and wife of military veterans, to her own 31-year service in the Australian Army, Liz is a passionate advocate for service above self, diversity and transformational change.

From the humble beginnings as a Secretary to a Real Estate mogul in Canberra to being the first woman to be appointed Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs, President of the Repatriation Commission and Chair of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission, Liz has over four decades of diverse experience in high tempo roles.  This includes lived experience working and succeeding in predominantly male environments, networking with and mentoring others, delivering outcomes internationally and nationally and paving the way for others.

Entering military service at the beginning of equality for women in Australia’s Defence Force, Liz has learned the importance of bringing a voice to the table and embracing diversity.  From traditional roles in her early years, Liz went on to serve in the field of aviation logistics and appointed the first woman to serve as the Chief of Staff, Peace Monitoring Group, Bougainville PNG, before being the first woman to be promoted to the rank of Brigadier and then Major General in the Australian Army.

After her distinguished military career, Liz served in the Commonwealth departments of Health and Home Affairs before returning to the most contested and demanding environment of Veterans’ Affairs.  Liz has extensive experience leading geographically dispersed organisations and managing multi billion-dollar budgets.  This experience includes times during intense media scrutiny, public criticism, delivering to a disgruntled client base and a once-in-a century pandemic.

Although not your traditional public servant, Liz has faced and overcome adversity, career challenges and obstacles to achieve her vision and goals to succeed.  Recognised for her various roles leading and driving cultural change to transform organisations, Liz knows the importance of investing in leadership, staff, communication, culture and performance.

Major General Cosson was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross in 2001 and was appointed a Member in the Military Division of the Order of Australia in 2011 for her contributions to the Army and the delivery of profound organisational reform.

In 2014, she was awarded the ACT Award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership.

In 2019, Liz was inducted into the Women in Defence Hall of Fame.

General Cosson is an amazing communicator and relates easily with all who encounter her. Her orations are passioonate, insightful and delivered from a perspective of having lived and learned from her experiences. She is highly regarded for her astute judgement and is widely sought after by corporate boards and conference organisers for keynote addresses and consultancy projects.

The General is happy to take subject briefs and prepare oiations to meet a client’s aims.

Liz holds a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies), Bachelor of Social Science and is a Member of the AICD.