Meet Catholic Education’s new Director Finance and Infrastructure, Gerard Giesekam

A self proclaimed ‘numbers man’, Gerard Giesekam has always had an affinity for arithmetic.

Recently appointed as Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta’s new Director Finance and Infrastructure, Gerard is looking forward to using his skills to support the system’s 80 great local schools and student learning across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

Naturally good at Mathematics while at school, it is no wonder that Gerard found his way into accounting. Undertaking a cadetship program for a chartered accountancy firm while also studying at university, Gerard is a highly experienced Chief Financial Officer and Head of Finance who has worked extensively in the finance, technology and professional services industries.

A passion for education brought him to his most recent role at the NSW Department of Education as Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer. Through this work, he was responsible for the transformation of the organisation’s financial systems. Now at Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP), Gerard hopes he can apply his knowledge and vast experience to supporting the system and improving educational outcomes for students across the Diocese.

“I am absolutely looking forward to getting into the role,” Gerard said. “There is a lot for me to go through within finance, infrastructure and the system as a whole but I feel confident with the strategic priorities of CEDP and how I can help pursue them.”

He said in these early days the job will involve a lot of listening and collaboration.

“A great leader is open to learning and actively listens to their colleagues and for me, I’m doing a lot of listening to begin with,” he said. “Observing, listening and seeking input to hear other people’s perspectives and points of view in order to formulate strategy is key.”

He does admit though that he may draw a blank when it comes to remembering names.

“I’m terrible when it comes to people’s names! Numbers seem to stick with me, but not names. It may take me a while but I’ll get there,” he said.

In his downtime, Gerard enjoys spending time with his wife and two children and boating. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants.