Moderators for Panel Sessions
Session Title: Implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 in Community and Educational Ecosystems
Mr Michael Fay
Michael Fay is Convenor of the ASEAN Australia Education Dialogue (AAED) and a Director at Australian Corporate Advisory firm ASEAN Focus Group (AFG VG). Michael is based in Sydney and advises a range of international education institutions, associations, media groups and peak bodies in relation to Asian education activities. He has a regional specialisation on India, Indonesia and the ASEAN region and was on the National Board of the Australia Indonesia Business Council (AIBC) from 2015-19. He has also been a board member of the National ELT Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) and is a Gold Friend of the Duke of Edinburgh Award/The International Award for Young People. Michael is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Technology Sydney in recognition of his pioneering work in establishing UTS Insearch,developing IELTS Testing at UTS, an IELTS publishing business at Insearch and leading the setting up of transnational education centres in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
Session Title: Strengthening Quality Assurance and Developing Global Standards in the English Language Sector in ASEAN and Australia
Ms. Ana Bratkovic
Ana Bratkovic is the General Manager of the Quality Assurance organisation, NEAS. Ana’s left her first career as an Economist with the Australian Bureau of Statistics in order to work more closely with people and became a High School social science teacher. She then moved into ELICOS, teaching at Sydney English Language Centre (SELC) before commencing a career in accreditation and quality assurance with NEAS in 2002.
Ana has enjoyed a range of roles at NEAS contributing to the full range of quality assurance and monitoring services in ELT including desk audits, on-site reviews, course assessments and workshop delivery. Ana applies her passion for quality and continuous improvement in all aspects of her work including compliance auditing, quality assurance processes, assessment validation and workshop delivery.
Session Title: Strategies for Building the Quality of Research in ASEAN Universities and Strengthening Higher Education Research Partnerships with Australia
Professor Linley Lord
Linley Lord is the Pro-Vice Chancellor and President of Curtin University Singapore. Prior to this, she was Professor and Chair of the Academic Board at Curtin University. She is Co-Lead of Curtin’s Athena SWAN Project and the Director of the Maureen Bickley Centre for Women in Leadership (MBC) at Curtin Business School. The MBC was established in March 2008 to promote and enable the increased representation of women in leadership roles.
Linley’s current research interests include women in non-traditional areas of employment, women’s experience as leaders, and women on boards. She is a member of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy (WA) Gender Diversity Reference Group and a sessional member of the State Administrative Tribunal since its inception in 2005. Prior to her academic career, Linley gained considerable experience as a change agent through appointments which included Project Officer for Equal Employment Opportunity focusing on Local Government (WA); first Equal Opportunity Coordinator for the West Australian Fire Brigades Board (now FESA) and as National Equal Opportunity Manager for the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Session Title: Building Student Mobility Networks between ASEAN and Australia and within ASEAN
Ms. Jan Drew
Jan has over twenty years in the Australian international education sector, including 19 years working in Asia, the past 12 residing in Malaysia. Her passion for global student mobility is a result of her own off-shore student experience in 1995.
Following the completion of her term in Malaysia as the Regional Director for the University of Melbourne, she developed The Global Student to work with universities, faculties and global mobility offices to develop customised internships, study tours and volunteer programs. From a humble beginning in 2011 with one volunteer program, The Global Student now services twenty Australian universities and in excess of 400 students annually on outbound programs to SE Asia.
Jan’s extensive knowledge of, and experience in, the Australian higher education sector, together with a deep understanding of SE Asian culture, markets and industry, place her in a unique position to engage with the region culturally and geographically .
Session Title: Developing Enterprise Vocational Training in Partnership with Business and Industry
Mr Thomson Ch'ng
A Master of Science (Project Management) and Bachelor of Commerce (Finance & Management) graduate of Curtin University Australia, Thomson Ch'ng is Co-convenor of the ASEAN Australia Education Dialogue (AAED) and an International Specialist Advisor at Australian Corporate Advisory Firm ASEAN Focus Group (AFG VG). Thomson is based in Penang and advises a range of education and training institutions, governments, associations and media groups in relation to Australian and ASEAN education activities. Prior to this, Thomson was the Vice-president of the ASEAN Youth Organization and Special Officer to a Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly. Back in Australia, Thomson was a founding delegate of the Council of International Students Australia (CISA), the national peak representative body for international students and has served as National Secretary then National President (2011-2015). Thomson was the winner of the 2013 New South Wales International Student of the Year Award (Higher Education).
Session Title: Strengthening Alumni Networks and Enhancing Graduate Employability
Gretchen Dobson, EdD
With over 26 years of experience in higher education and constituent relations, Dr. Gretchen Dobson and her team at Academic Assembly, Inc. lead institutions, governments and member-based organizations towards sustainable international alumni engagement strategies and solutions. Dobson also provides professional coaching for international alumni relations, development, admissions and academic officers new to global engagement practices. She is author of three books on global alumni relations and affiliated with the University at Albany’s School of Education as an International Education Leadership Fellow.
Session Title: Harnessing Digital Technology for Application in Workplace Training with Employment Outcomes
Ms. Claire Field
Claire is the Principal of Claire Field and Associates, a consultancy practice offering strategic adviceon VET, international education and private higher education to providers, investors and other tertiary education stakeholders.
Claire served as the CEO of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training from 2010 – 2014 representing more than 1,000 private VET and higher education providers. Prior to ACPET Claire worked in senior roles in a number of State and Australian government agencies, including establishing the Australian government’s first national VET regulator, the National Audit and Registration Agency. She has also held senior positions in both TAFE NSW and Mission Australia.
Claire has a weekly column in Campus Morning Mail and offers a subscription service providing expert insights on the Australian tertiary sector. She also hosts her own podcast ‘What now? What next? Insights into Australia’s tertiary education sector’.