Professor Margaret Abernethy holds the Sidney Myer Chair of Commerce and the Chair in Managerial Accounting at the University of Melbourne. As Dean since 2004, she has been an integral part of the implementation of the Melbourne Model at the University, which included the creation of the GSBE (formerly the Melbourne Graduate School of Management) for the provision of graduate business and economics education. In 2008 she was named Telstra Business Woman of the Year for the Community and Government sector in recognition of her contribution to higher education.