Speakers list

to support growth 28 March 2017

IET Summit Speakers #IETSummit2017

Andres Gebauer Business Development Manager, Education, Trade & Investment Queensland, Latin America Andres is responsible for the education and training sector in Latin America looking after the markets south of Mexico. Based at the regional office in Santiago, Chile, Andres joined Trade & Investment Queensland in 2016. Previously, he worked as the International and Institutional Relations’ Director at BECAS CHILE, the country’s ambitious scholarship program in the Chilean Ministry of Education. His extensive experience in the educational sector has given Andres a thorough knowledge of the market in the region. Andres has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Literature, Chile and a Masters Political Sciences, Rome, Italy.

Andrea Slingsby Chief Executive Officer – Atira Student Living

Andrea has more than 20 years’ experience in high growth service sectors including Flight Centre Limited where she was President and CEO for North America for four years. She also held senior management and corporate advisory roles for a broad range of Australian private and public companies, most recently as CEO of The Turner Family Investment Portfolio. Andrea sees student accommodation as being integral in the mix of enhancing integration between individuals, community, lifestyle and professional development. As CEO she aims to bring new levels of innovation and service to the business. Andrea is also a Director of Durante Holdings (Michael Hill (Jeweller) family company) and sits on the Investment and Management Committee of The Friday Group (Goldburg Family Office) where she also Chairs the Remuneration Committee and heads the Goldburg Family Foundation.

Anjali Rao Journalist, SBS Dateline

Anjali Rao Anjali Rao is a multi-award winning journalist, who has worked in broadcast news and current affairs for 17 years. She has worked for the likes of SBS, CNN International, Talk Asia and both and Channel 5 News London. She has interviewed numerous high profile personalities such as and the Dalai Lama, and covered many of the international breaking news stories of her time.

Dr Ben Lyons Chief Executive Officer, TSBE Food Leaders Dr Ben Lyons has worked extensively in Asia for the past 20 years, specifically in the agribusiness, textiles, research and education management sectors. He has worked for some of the world’s leading brands including Dulwich College International, The Financial Times (UK), The Woolmark Company, the Australian Wool Exchange and the University of Queensland. Ben has a PhD in economics from the University of Queensland and studied Chinese literature and modern Chinese economic history in Xi’an, Nanjing and Beijing. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Benjamin Sun Managing Director, Think China Benjamin Sun is a digital marketer and researcher with extensive knowledge in Chinese digital marketing. Benjamin’s main research interest is on Chinese digital landscape and online consumer behaviour. He helps many clients conduct and analyse market research to give them the strategic intelligence they need to make smarter decisions. Benjamin works closely with research institutes in Australia, undertaking his doctoral degree at the University of Sydney. He published many articles containing innovative ideas and fresh perspectives on matters affecting Australian businesses operating eCommerce stores in the Greater China region.

Ben Southall Presenter and Digital Journalist Ben Southall is a presenter, digital journalist and adventurer. His achievements include beating 35,000 people to win the Best Job in the World in 2009 and became the ‘Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef’ in Australia. He has presented his own series The Best Job in the World on Nat Geo’s Adventure Channel, which aired in more than 315 million homes in 165 countries and 34 languages. Ben works with the television networks in Australia and writes for a number of print and online communities. He is an Ambassador for Alton College, Tourism Queensland, the University of Queensland Business School, Alpina Watches, and a Patron of Sailabilty, a disabled sailing charity.

Brett Blacker CEO, English Australia Brett Blacker is the Chief Executive Officer of English Australia. He has previously held a range of senior roles in international education including Director, International, Residential Services, Alumni, Careers and Employment Office, Murdoch University, and Director, International Office, the University of Newcastle. He worked closely with the health sector as National Business Development Manager and subsequently General Manager: Health, OSHC Worldcare, Mondial Assistance (Allianz), based in Brisbane. He was a long-standing Board member and immediate past President of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA). He has served on the Board of Perth Education City (PEC) and as part of the executive group of Australian Universities International Directors Forum (AUIDF). Brett is a member of StudyNSW International Education Advisory Board, the South Australian International Education Ministerial Advisory Council and Council for International Education.

Cameron Hodges Principal, Elanora State High School Cameron Hodges is the Principal of Elanora State High School on the Gold Coast – Elanora is a co-educational state high school with an enrolment of over 950 students, including 40 International students. Cameron is also the Chair of the Gold Coast International Schools Alliance, representing the 11 state high schools on the Gold Coast who host over 350 International students annually. Cameron is a former Indonesian language teacher, exchange representative for the Northern Territory – Indonesia exchange program and completed his tertiary studies in South Australia. Cameron has previously led the school communities of another Gold Coast state high school as well as a regional state high school. Cameron is an active member on a number of Study Gold Coast committees. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Carol Doyle President, Study Cairns Ms Carol Doyle has been an executive member of Study Cairns since 2007. Study Cairns is the lead agency for international education and training in the Cairns region and represents all sectors of the industry from education institutions and providers, tourism partners and student support services. In this role, Ms Doyle leads the organisation to undertake and deliver three key areas of focus for the region’s international education and training industry, namely: Sustainable growth; Brand awareness and Stakeholder support. Ms Doyle has extensive VET senior management experience in Australia in both the domestic and international sectors. She currently runs a nationally Registered Training Organisation, YouSTUDY, a Distance Education College, as well as her own consultancy to the VET sector in the areas of industry compliance and registration, and the development of eLearning resources . Ms Doyle is a member of the Queensland International Education and Training Advisory Group (IETAG), bringing diverse industry voices and guidance to government

Cindy Calendar Business Development Officer, Trade & Investment Queensland, Europe & Sub-Saharan Africa Cindy commenced working for Trade & Investment Queensland in its London office in 2012 and moved into the position of Business Development Officer in February 2014. Prior to working for the Queensland Government, Cindy worked for the Victorian Ombudsman for eight years in a variety of roles including Director Corporate Services, Manager Business Improvement and Senior Investigation Officer. Cindy has also worked at a senior level in local government, both in Victoria and Queensland including working as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the Bulloo Shire Council in South West Queensland where she managed a number of council-owned businesses. Cindy has a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Social Science.

Chris Gartner Manager – Client Engagement and Insights (International Education), Austrade Chris Gartner heads up the Australian Trade and Investment Commission’s (Austrade) Education Client Engagement and Insights team which leads Austrade’s approach to supporting Australia’s international education institutions. He has spent over a decade working across the Australian education sector and has experience spanning roles in State and National governments, the schools, vocational training and community education sectors as well as universities. Prior to joining Austrade, Chris was with the Victorian Government’s education and economic development departments where he had responsibility for a wide range of activities including international education business development, student experience activity and broader education export strategy.

Dion Lee National Vice-President, Council of International Students Australia Dion Jeremy Lee is the National Postgraduate Officer at the Council of International Students Australia and is concurrently a Study Brisbane International Student Ambassador with Brisbane Marketing, a department within the Brisbane City Council. Previously, Dion was also the International Students’ Officer and Chair of the International Student Board at The University of Queensland Union (UQ Union). Dion is currently in his final year of a Master of International Relations program at The University of Queensland where he hopes to apply his industry insights and academic knowledge into a student-facing role within the International Education industry in the near future. Dion is a member of the Queensland International Education and Training Advisory Group (IETAG), bringing diverse industry voices and guidance to government. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Fred Nucifora Director Reef Hq Aquarium, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Mr Fred Nucifora is a strong edu-tourism advocate based in Townsville. He holds a Bachelor of Education (BEd), Marine Sciences, Environmental Management and Biophysical Geography. Fred is responsible for managing the operations of the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium and the Australian Government’s National Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef, positioning and ensuring the implementation of the strategic direction of the Aquarium as a high quality edu-tourism attraction within North Queensland. Fred has actively used ReefHQ Aquarium’s position as the Australian Government’s National Reef Education Centre to engage with representatives from various industry sectors in Australia and around the world to consider Townsville as a destination of excellence for EduTourism programs including faculty led study abroad programs. Fred is a member of the Queensland International Education and Training Advisory Group (IETAG), bringing diverse industry voices and guidance to government.

Dr Grace Pan Director, Strategic Development and Research, Tourism and Events Queensland Dr. Pan leads and manages strategic research programs at Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ). Prior to that, she was International Director, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan at TEQ based in Shanghai. In her last five years (2011-2016) stint in Shanghai, she was responsible for overseeing all marketing activities in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, with the overall objective of growing the Greater China visitation to Queensland. She is well recognized with her abundant experiences in tourism marketing and market research. Prior to joining TEQ, Dr. Pan held various roles in both private and public sectors, including InterContinental Hotels Group, the Nielsen Company, and Griffith University. She received her PhD in tourism marketing and management from Griffith University.

Graham Skroo Turner Chief Executive Officer, Flight Centre Ltd In 1973, Graham Turner and two mates bought a couple of double-decker buses in England and began a holiday travel company, Top Deck Travel. With only a bus load of energy, entrepreneurship and youthful exuberance, they organised bus tours to the continent and parts of North Africa. By 1980 the business had a fleet of seventy to eighty buses. Old Top Deckers still look back on those times with enormous pleasure, celebrated in the book Top Deck Daze. In 1981, Skroo returned to Australia and established the Flight Centre travel business. It was an opportune moment as the airline ticketing industry had recently been deregulated, allowing the sale of discounted tickets for the first time. Under Skroo’s dynamic leadership Flight Centre took off, providing the cheapest possible pricing, deriving profits from the volume of sales.

Gus Balbontin

Gus first came to Australia as back packer from a small town in Argentina and later received his MBA. Gus is the former Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer at Lonely Planet. His combined background in investing, advising and founding new start-ups, gives Gus a unique perspective on disruption and innovation. He led the charge with Lonely Planet to tackle the digital revolution and muscle through a decade of disruption by developing products and technology platforms that contributed to the revolution in travel and media. Gus talks of business disruption and transformation, plus the successes and failures of industries that continuously go through significant reinvention. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Helen Zimmerman Head Of Corporate Affairs, Navitas Helen heads the Corporate Affairs function for Navitas with responsibility for government and stakeholder relations, corporate media, communications and public relations, and brand. Helen has worked in leadership roles in Australian public and private education for over 30 years. Helen is a member of the NSW State Advisory Council of CEDA (Committee for Economic Development of Australia). She currently is the Chair of the Australian Business and Community Network and is a non-executive director of Jobs for NSW. In 2000 Helen won the Private Sector Award for the Telstra NSW Businesswoman of the Year. In 2010 she was one of five national finalists for the award of Leading CEO for the Advancement of Women. Helen is an Honorary Senior Fellow of the LH Martin Institute of the University of .

Hema Govindaraj Principal Business Development Manager, Trade & Investment Queensland, India Hema Govindaraj has been with TIQ, India for the past eight years, holding the position of Principal Business Development Manager since July 2015. With over 15 year’s experience, Hema is skilled in managing multiple client visits and trade missions and managed the mission led by the Deputy Premier of Queensland in November 2015. She also held the position of Office Manager for the India office. Hema’s career has spanned work in the building, construction, clean technologies, telecommunication and information technology sectors industries and positions with the National Health Services in London and private companies in India. Hema has a Masters in Business Administration.

Hugh Ritchie Chairman, Union Institute of Language Hugh Ritchie is Chairman and Co-Founder of English language group, Union Institute of Language (UIL). Hugh has held executive and board roles in companies involved in business in Australia and Asia (predominately China) for the past 20 years across a spectrum of organizations in a broad range of industry fields – from start-ups to large corporations. This breadth of experience has left Hugh with a deep understanding of a broad range of differing business cultures in Asia and around the world. After co-founding UIL in 2003, Hugh has pursued and developed successful joint venture projects and businesses from opportunities that cross international borders. Hugh is committed to building bridges between Australia and other countries through synergistic, strategic partnerships in both countries using education, and in particular English language training, as the medium to achieve this aim. Hugh’s previous experience in the area of sales, marketing and management saw him employed in various managerial roles across several business sectors including a decade working with large multinational companies in the pharmaceutical sector. Since this time Hugh has been a director of a number of companies with trade, manufacturing and infrastructure interests in Asia and Australia.

Professor Iain Watson Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Queensland As Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement), Professor Iain Watson is responsible for leading the University’s overall engagement strategy, with a particular focus on expanding the quality and scale of engagement with prospective students, industry, government, alumni and Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islander communities. Professor Watson is currently a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, Immediate Past Chair of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Initial Accreditation Committee, Director of the Australian Ireland Fund and sits on the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM Australia) Council of Governors. He is also a member of the Queensland Male Champions for Change. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Irma Irsyad Business Development Officer, Trade & Investment Queensland, Indonesia Irma joined the Trade & Investment Queensland Representative Office Jakarta in October 2014. Her current sectors of responsibility include education and training, and food and agribusiness. Irma formerly worked with the Austrade Jakarta office in the services (franchise and creative) sector. Her education background is in commerce (marketing and advertising) and general management. Irma’s professional experience is in business development, corporate sales and marketing and communication within a number of industries including international trade, industrial automation and pay television. Irma is a graduate of Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia and holds a Master’s Degree from Bina Nusantara University in Jakarta.

James Martin Managing Director, (Co-founder) at Insider Foundry James Martin founded Insider Guides – International Student Guides, as he saw an opportunity to provide best-practice content to prepare and welcome international students. The guides now reach over 80% of new international students in Australia each year through six cities in Australia and offshore in 19 countries. James Martin also founded the International Education Association of Australia’s (IEAA) Young Professionals in Australia and currently Chairs the South Australian Chapter. As the Managing Director of Insider Foundry, James has overseen the growth of the company and positioned Insider Foundry as an industry leader in the area of ’international student experience’.

Jane Caro Social Commentator, Writer and Lecturer Jane Caro wears many hats; including author, lecturer, mentor, social commentator, columnist, workshop facilitator, speaker, broadcaster and award winning advertising writer. She is sought after as a speaker and workshop facilitator by a wide range of organisations, in both the public and private sectors. Caro has appeared on Channel Seven’s Sunrise, ABC television’s Q&A and as a regular panellist on The Gruen Transfer. She also undertakes regular radio work. Caro has worked in the advertising industry and lectures in advertising at the School of Humanities and Communication Arts at University of Western Sydney. Caro was a speaker at the 2014 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Janelle Chapman Executive Director, Tafe Queensland Janelle Chapman is the Executive Director, TAFE Queensland International and the lead for all international business activities for TAFE Queensland, the largest VET provider in Queensland. With more than 25 years of experience in vocational education and training, mainly in the international industry, Janelle has always been a strong advocate for the sector in several positions. Her team is located across Queensland and also in six markets offshore. Previous roles have also included the school and ELICOS sectors. As part of her commitment to the Australian international education and training system, Janelle is the TAFE Queensland representative to TAFE Director Australia’s – Australian TAFE International Network, was the original Queensland Government representative to the Education Visa Consultative Committee and is a current member of a university Academic Board.

Jianwen Xu Senior Business Development Manager – Education, Trade & Investment Queensland, Shanghai Jianwen Xu joined Trade & Investment Queensland, Shanghai in January 2016 managing the education sector. With over 20 years of experience in international education, she was with the Australian Government Department of Education and Training based in the Australian Consulate General, Shanghai. Jianwen Xu started her career working for the International Cooperation and Exchange Division, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. Jianwen Xu received her Bachelor of Arts (English Language) from the Shanghai Normal University. She has completed one year of postgraduate studies at the School of Education, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand on a scholarship while working for the Shanghai Government. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Kathleen Newcombe Chief Executive Officer, Sarina Russo Kathleen has thirty years of experience in the Higher Education, Vocational Training and Employment sectors both in Australia and the USA. Kathleen also spent three years in leadership roles in the Insurance industry where she successfully managed a Health Insurance business catering to the International Education sector. Kathleen is the former Director of the International Education Association Australia (IEAA), Chair of the Icon Cancer Research Foundation and a member of the ACPET QLD State Committee. A passionate advocate for lifelong learning, Kathleen holds qualifications in Education and Business. She has also sought to further her skills and knowledge through professional development programs at Harvard Business School, University of Florida and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Karen Spiller Principal, St Aidan’s Anglican Girl’s School, Brisbane Karen has had teaching and leadership experience in both girls’ and co-educational Anglican schools for over 30 years. She has been Principal at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School for the past seventeen years. Karen is the National Chair of the Association of Heads in Independent Schools Australia and the Vice President of Independent Schools Queensland and a member of the Yalari Board. In 2010 and 2011 she was a finalist in the EOWA Employer of Choice for Women Business Achievement Awards in the category of Leading CEO for the Advancement of Women. In 2011 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship “To examine strategies for preparing female leaders for the position of Principalship in Australian Schools” and travelled to the United Kingdom and United States for this study. In 2013 Karen was awarded Fellow of “The CEO Institute” and appointed as a Fellow of Bond University. She supports QUT through their CEO advisory group to the Business Faculty and was recently awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary International. Ms Spiller is a member of the Queensland International Education and Training Advisory Group (IETAG), bringing diverse industry voices and guidance to government.

Ken Smith Agent-General and Trade and Investment Commissioner for Europe and Africa, Trade & Investment Queensland The Queensland Trade & Investment office Europe and Africa is led by Ken Smith. Prior to this appointment, Ken headed the Queensland Public Service as Director General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet for approximately four years. He has held a number of Departmental Chief Executive Officer positions in Queensland since the early 90’s. Ken has served as Coordinator-General and Director-General of the Department of Infrastructure, and has been the Director-General of a range of large Queensland Government departments including Education, Employment and Training, Family Services, Disability Services Queensland and Housing Local Government and Planning. Ken is a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators and Australian College of Educational Leadership and has held Adjunct Professorial positions at the Universities of Queensland and Sydney.

Kevin Brett Director of Client Services, Australasia Kevin directs the i-graduate Group (www.i-graduate.org) in Australia. Early career experience includes external and continuing education in Queensland and the Northern Territory. He has been engaged in the internationalisation project of Australian education for 30 years firstly as a practitioner: Director International Relations (UniSA) and Director International (Canberra). Since 2007 he has been engaged in research and consulting in transnational education, the student experience, international education quality assurance and audit, student mobility and international operations benchmarking. Higher education experience includes teaching, student administration, research commercialisation, international project management, marketing, business development, student recruitment and client relationship management. Current research interests include risk management and regulation in education, learning mobility and the student experience. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Nina Khairina National President, CISA Mustika Indah (Nina) Khairina is the National President of the Council of International Students Australia. Prior to CISA, she held positions as an executive in the Monash Student Council and was the 2014/2015 President of Monash University International Students Service at Monash Clayton Campus. As President she actively engaged with international student groups and work with the university in advancing students’ interests and needs while heading the division in organising educational and social programs and events on campus. Her goal during her term is to “strengthen grassroots level engagement”. She is committed to initiate more activities on a state/regional level, ensure that the council members’ have a platform to voice out their concerns and are well-represented in CISA’s engagement with the government and stakeholders in international education.

Olivia Jeung Assistant Marketing Officer, Trade & Investment Queensland, Korea Olivia Jeong commenced working for the Trade & Investment Queensland Korea office in Seoul in April 2010, and has managed education and migration industries since January 2014. Previously she had been responsible for food and agribusiness, creative industries and emerging sectors. Prior to TIQ Korea, Olivia worked for IBM Korea, American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, and Target Sourcing Services Korea. She completed her master’s degree in International Trade and Finance at Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies and a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Art History at Ewha Women’s University in Korea.

Phil Honeywood National Executive Director, International Education Association of Australia The Hon Phil Honeywood became National Executive Director of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) in November 2011. The Association is a not for profit peak body that represents all sectors of Australia’s international education industry. Mr Honeywood brings extensive knowledge of all aspect of higher education, including international education, and a strong network of both private and public providers. Mr Honeywood was the Member for Warrandyte in the Victorian State Parliament, Australia, for 18 years (1988–2006). Since retiring from full-time politics in 2006, Mr Honeywood has been Marketing Director and CEO at Stott’s Business College and Cambridge International College in Melbourne. He also served two terms on the Governing Council of Swinburne University of Technology. He is also the current Chairman of the State Government of Victoria’s Interpreting and Translation Service (VITS). Mr Honeywood is currently a member of the Commonwealth Government’s Coordinating Council for International Education. The Coordinating Council is responsible for finalising Australia’s first ever National Strategy for International Education. Mr Honeywood is a member of the Queensland International Education and Training Advisory Group (IETAG), bringing diverse industry voices and guidance to government. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Rebecca Hall Executive Director, International Education & Training Unit, Trade & Investment Queensland As the Executive Director, International Education & Training, Trade & Investment Queensland, Rebecca leads the implementation of the government’s International Education and Training (IET) Strategy to Advance Queensland 2016-2026. Since 1999 Rebecca has held roles in international education related program and policy as well as leadership roles in global mobility, transnational partnerships and international engagement. She has held senior roles at Gold Coast City Council, Queensland Department of Education and Training, TAFE Directors Australia (TDA), Griffith University and prior to returning to Queensland she worked for the Victorian Government as Executive Director Trade Victoria and Director International Education. Rebecca is a member of the International Education Association of Australia’s Research Committee and is Deputy Chair of AFS Intercultural Programs Australia. Over the past decade her not-for-profit board experience includes appointments to the boards of International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) Queensland Branch and the Queensland Overseas Foundation (QOF). Rebecca holds a Bachelor of International Business Relations (Griffith) and a Master of International Relations (Bond). In 2016 she became a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Richard Brown Managing Director, BROWNS English School Member of the Queensland International Education and Training Advisory Group (IETAG) and winner of the Australian Government Export Award, Education & Training and the Premier of Queensland’s Export Award, Education & Training, Mr Richard Brown has over 15 years of marketing and executive experience in the Australian ELICOS sector providing strategic and operational leadership for BROWNS English Language School and BROWNS Professional. Bringing diverse industry voices and guidance to government with an analytical and insightful team approach, Richard drives school and industry improvements with best practices focused around student outcomes and employability skills. Established in 2003, BROWNS English Language School has achieved organic growth through the passion and dedication of the BROWNS team to “excellence in English language education” and “99% student satisfaction”. Today BROWNS have more than 3000+ English and VET students studying across four campuses on the Gold Coast and Brisbane and employs more than 100+ staff.

Riley Batchelor Chief Executive Officer, EduGrowth Riley is a tech startup sales, marketing and operations professional with 15 years experience in Education, Media, E-commerce and consumer startups. He is currently the lead project manager for EduGrowth, a new national initiative focused on growing Australia’s scaleable borderless education industry around the world. He was previously the local partner/founder of General Assembly in Australia and expanded the business throughout the Asia Pacific from 2011 to 2015.

Rob Lawrence Principal, Prospect Research and Marketing Robert Lawrence is one of the world’s leading education researchers and strategists, with over 25 years’ experience working across 40 countries. Rob Lawrence founded Prospect Research and marketing and his desire to find creative outcomes and informed intelligence heralded the start of a research reputation which is now known around the world. Every year, Rob and his team interview tens of thousands of students, employers, business and opinion leaders, educators etc. in the pursuit of market intelligence and accurate, inspirational and insightful results. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Professor Sarah Todd Vice President (Global), Griffith University Professor Todd is a member of the senior executive at Griffith. She is responsible for international development, international policy, strategic planning, international projects, pre-tertiary, degree and concurrent English language programs, the development of global partnerships, international student recruitment, mobility and international student support. Professor Todd currently represents Griffith as a Director on the board of the Asia Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE), as well as being Deputy Chair for the Universities Australia International Committee and Chair for the Innovative Research Universities (IRU) International Committee. Professor Todd is currently a member of the board of Study Gold Coast, and the Association for Commonwealth Universities (ACU) International Committee and is a member of the Queensland International Education and Training Advisory Group (IETAG), bringing diverse industry voices and guidance to government.

Professor Scott Sheppard Deputy Vice Chancellor (International and Development),QUT Scott Sheppard is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International and Development) at QUT. He leads the University’s international and development activities and his portfolio includes: Alumni and Development, The Confucius Institute at QUT, QUT International, QUT International College, QUT Precincts. In his career, Scott has held leadership roles across government and the education and training sector. A former Diplomat for Australia, Scott has lived and worked in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Shanghai for more than 10 years. He has studied at: Taiwan Normal University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Griffith University (Modern Asian Studies), ANU (International Law).

Shannon Willoughby Chief Executive, Study Gold Coast Shannon Willoughby is the Chief Executive Officer of Study Gold Coast, the peak industry and city marketing body for the Gold Coast’s education and training sector. Holding a Bachelor of Communication from Bond University, Shannon is a former senior journalist at the Gold Coast Bulletin. Also the former long-term president of Young Professionals Gold Coast, Shannon is infinitely passionate about the Gold Coast and has been a leader in drawing attention to the city’s issues and potential. Shannon is currently Councillor for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland’s (CCIQ) Gold Coast Regional Policy Council and board member of Ohana for Youth, Gen-Z Employment and Regional Development Australia Gold Coast.

Sue Freeman Director, First Impressions Resources, Australia and India. Mrs Sue Freeman is currently a Director of four companies – First Impressions Resources (FIR); The Australian Retail College India; First Impressions Resources India and Swift eLearning. Mrs Freeman heads up the Queensland Skills and Education Consortium which was established in January 2016. This group is a collaboration of private and public vocational education providers working together to meet the skilling challenges in India. This follows four years of off-shore delivery in India through The Australian Retail College. Sue actively contributes to a range of Vocational Education boards and committees and was the Deputy Chair of the Queensland Government Training and Employment Recognition Council, 2003-2012, overseeing the quality and registration of training providers and is an active Australian Council Private Education and Training (ACPET) member. Sue has recently been appointed to the Australian Government’s Council for International Education and is a member of the Queensland International Education and Training Advisory Group (IETAG), bringing diverse industry voices and guidance to government. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Syed Nabil Aljeffri Head of Corporate Services, AljeffriDean Chartered Accountants Syed Nabil Aljeffri has been active in corporate structuring and acquisition activities for a Private Equity Firm based in Malaysia. He is also the Head of Corporate Services and Legal Compliance for AljeffriDean Chartered Accountants, Chairman of Eco-Hygiene Services Sdn Bhd and a director of several other private limited companies. Nabil is also a founder of two start ups, including one of the leading B2B Asean marketplaces, www.aseanmarketplace.net. Syed Nabil is the Founder of the Malaysian Association of ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs (MAAYE), and was founding Chair of the regional ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Council (AYEC) in 2015, a historic network of young entrepreneur associations from all 10 Asean Member States. Syed Nabil has organised numerous initiatives under several organisations and was the organising Chairman of the 1st ASEAN-Malaysia Business Seminar in 2013 and the 1st ASEAN-Malaysia Young Entrepreneurs Forum 2015. Most recently, Nabil founded and was the organising Chairman of the inaugural Asean Young Entrepreneurs Carnival. The Asean Young Entrepreneurs Carnival is now the official and premier platform for Asean young entrepreneurs.

Takashi Sato Business Development Manager, Education, Trade & Investment Queensland, Japan Takashi is responsible for the international education and training sector at TIQ’s Japan Office in Tokyo. Since completing an internship with TIQ Japan in early 2009, Takashi has continued to build his professional experience and global business skills. He focused on energy, resources and cleantech investment attraction and export promotion for the first three years, and on education and training sector since 2012. Takashi holds a Bachelor of Business with a major in economics from Queensland University of Technology. He is also a Qualified Education Agent Counsellor. Born and raised in Japan, Takashi has extensive expertise in implementing strategic market outreach and research, sector-specific projects and events, joint initiatives with Austrade and allies, collaboration with various study clusters, and engagement of key Japanese public and private stakeholders in international education and training.

Tina Lin Business Development Manager, Trade & Investment Queensland, Taiwan Responsible for the education and training sector Tina Lin commenced her career with Trade & Investment Queensland, Taiwan in April 2015. Her career has spanned responsibility for food and agribusiness and roles with the Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Industries Promotion Office, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Institute for Information Industry and a variety of roles including Business Development Manager and Senior Planning Officer. Tina immigrated to Australia with her family and had her school education in Australia. She holds a Masters in Life Science, National Tsing Hua University and an International MBA, National Chengchi University, Taiwan.

Tim Weston Chief Executive Officer, Student One Tim’s experience in the education industry hails back to year 2000 when he took over the reins as General Manager of St Johns College at the University of Sydney. Realising the opportunities in the education industry, and in particular student accommodation, Tim joined Campus Living Villages as their inaugural CEO in 2002. After over 8 years at CLV where he had a considerable influence on the growth of the company from 650 beds to 43,000 beds in 2010, Tim established Student Housing Solutions, a boutique consultancy company specialising, as the name suggests in Student Accommodation. Tim was enticed back into development and operations of student accommodation in 2015 to head up a new student accommodation venture that is now known as Student One. In establishing Student One, Tim has brought together all that he has learnt in the past 15+ year, adding to that 20+ years in the hospitality industry prior to year 2000. Speakers list #IETSummit2017

Vanessa Fabre Executive Manager, MDA Vanessa Fabre is the Executive Manager of Corporate Communication, New Business and Partnerships at MDA Ltd. Vanessa has over 20 years experience in community and government sectors, joining MDA in 2015. Vanessa oversees corporate communication, major events, strategic partnerships and new business opportunities for MDA. Vanessa holds a Master of Health Science, Bachelor of Applied Science and Graduate Diploma in Health Promotion. Through her career Vanessa has lead the development of significant social policy and change in areas of human services, community safety, community development, partnership development, disaster management and capacity building. Vanessa’s most recent career highlights have been the development of Queensland’s first International Student Hub, establishment of the Brisbane Multicultural Centre partnership with Brisbane City Council , and coordination of the volunteer response for the 2011 flood recovery. As an advocate for social justice, Vanessa has also been instrumental in the development and implementation of significant social policies in the areas such as homelessness, disability, youth, seniors and cultural diversity. This work has been a motivating factor for Vanessa working in the community sector. TIQ-17-1824