Christian Callisen was a foundation student at Bishop Druitt College and a member of the College’s first HSC cohort, graduating in 1999. He was school vice-captain and Dux of College. After graduation, Christian worked as a computer technician and as a banker before taking time off work to complete a research degree in early modern intellectual history. Since 2011, Christian has worked at the executive and senior executive levels in the Australian Public Service (APS), first at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and, since September 2017, at the Department of Social Services. Through his work in the APS, Christian has delivered national policies and programs in health, community services and disability services, and has had the privilege of working on such significant initiatives as Aged Care Reform and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. In his current role, Christian oversees the Department of Social Services’ operations across Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Christian has also published academic pieces in the fields of early modern intellectual history and the history of the virtual, and maintains an interest in these fields and in the creation, dissemination and impact of discourses around suicide and suicide prevention. His work has appeared in the Journal of the History of Ideas and he is the editor of Reading and Writing History from Bruni to Windschuttle: Essays in Honour of Gary Ianziti (Ashgate, 2014). Christian holds a Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning), Postgraduate Certificate in Business, Master of Arts (Research), Master of Business Administration, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders