Team
Our on-the-ground consultants in Australia and the UK are highly experienced advisors with deep sector experience.
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Michael Wells
Managing Director, Australia and UK+61 400 904 926
michael.wells@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
BA LLB (Melb)
M Marketing (Melb)Michael Wells, Founding Director, is one of the leading advisors on higher education in Australia. Michael advises public and private clients on mission-critical issues including institutional strategy, license to operate, and partnerships. He has a strong reputation and network within the higher education sector in Australia and internationally. Over the last 25 years, Michael has worked at the cutting edge of higher education, with senior roles spanning government, university and private sector. He was appointed a Commissioner to help design and set up Australia’s national regulator TEQSA, he was a member of the senior executive at the University of Melbourne leading planning, QA, finance and risk, and prior to that spent a decade in the private sector advising (including universities) on brand strategy, valuation and defence. Michael holds degrees in law, economics and marketing, and is admitted to legal practice.
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Professor Roger King
Director & Chair, UK+44 787 969 5261
roger.king@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
D.Univ (Lincoln)
M.Soc Sc (Birmingham)
B.Sc Hons Economics (London)Roger has had and continues a distinguished career in higher education, including advising at all levels and in many emerging contexts. He was a Vice-Chancellor at the University of Lincoln from 1989 – 2001 and was founding Chair of the Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (now part of HE Academy). From 2009 he was a Visiting Professor at the Open University (UK) (until 2014) and a Visiting Professor at the University of Bath (current). He is a Research Associate at the London School of Economics and Political Science (Centre for the Analysis of Risk and Regulation).
Roger has also been a Visiting Professor at a number of Australian Universities including Queensland, QUT, Griffith and Sunshine Coast.
Since 2013 Roger has been a Member of the independent, cross-political party Higher Education Commission (parliamentary based), including co-authoring its Report Regulating Higher Education.
He is Chairman of the Board of Governors of the UK College of Business and Computing (UKCBC), London and Dubai.
He has worked with and consulted for universities, colleges, governments and regulatory agencies globally. His key areas of expertise are higher education management and governance, risk management and regulation, higher education policy and globalisation. Roger is an extensively published author of key works on risk, governance and higher education.
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Dr Paula Kelly
Practice Lead, Regulation & Quality+61 427 318 362
paula.kelly@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
BA (Hons) (Mon)
Grad Cert Quality Assurance (Melb)
MA (Mon)
PhD (Melb)Dr Paula Kelly is the Practice Lead of our Regulation and Quality practice. She advises on higher education policy settings, quality assurance, regulation and accreditation. Paula understands the complexities of the higher education environment including the regulatory and legislative frameworks that govern it. Prior to joining Wells Advisory, Paula held an academic position at the University of Melbourne and a regulatory role at the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).
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Dr Guy Edwards
Practice Lead, Strategy and Planning+61 473 216 388
guy.edwards@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
BA (Hons) Melb
MA Melb
DipGrad (Econ) Lond
PhD CantabGuy is an experienced strategy consultant and project manager across higher education, global health-care and the interfaces between the two. He has particular expertise in university strategy and the analytics to underpin it, research strategy, and commercialisation, with a focus on medical innovation, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. His consulting experience includes working with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, private equity and investors, and government clients.
Prior to joining Wells Advisory, Guy held roles in strategy consulting firms in the UK and Australia, was a senior advisor and project manager for the University of Melbourne, and completed his doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge, during which time he taught at both undergraduate and graduate level.
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Michelle Lee
General Manager+61 400 904 926
michelle.lee@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
Michelle Lee leads our business operations team managing our finances, human resources, communications, marketing, technology and internal projects.
Her focus is to align our strategic direction with our practices here in Australia.
She has over 20 years’ experience utilising her commercial business acumen to augment the operations of organisations to facilitate growth and expansion. She has worked with large to medium organisations in various industries including banking and finance, building and professional services.
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Alison Allden OBE
Principal Advisor+44 7867 908 026
alison.allden@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
BA Hons (Bristol)
MSc Distinction (London School of Economics)
Fellow of the British Computer Society FBCS
Member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals MCILIP
Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists MIFAAlison Allden has had a particularly distinguished career in the UK higher education sector and was awarded an OBE for her services to Higher Education in 2016.
She is currently a Trustee on the Board of Northumbria University in Newcastle where she chairs the Strategic Performance Committee and is Deputy Chair of Regent’s University London. She is also a member of the Bar Standards Board which regulates barristers and particularly provides expertise in education and training.
She was most recently the CEO of the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) that is responsible for the collection and publication of information for the UK higher education sector. Prior to that she held senior executive roles in a number of prestigious UK universities, including Bristol, Warwick and Goldsmiths. Her leadership responsibilities ranged across the full student experience, recruitment and commercial provision and IT and learning resources.
As well as these substantive leadership roles in higher education she has led major innovative digital initiatives across the HE sector including most recently the adoption of metrics and data analytics to support strategic performance and for regulatory purposes. She was on the Board of Jisc and a member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s Leadership, Governance and Management Strategic Advisory Committee and chaired innovation committees for Economic and Social Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Prior to her career in higher education she was an IT professional and began her working life as an archaeologist.
She offers Board level advice and development on governance issues across the higher education sector underpinned by real experience. Further she can offer expertise to organisations based on her track record of consultancy across a range of providers, covering issues that have included strategic planning to achieve improved outcomes and the resultant organisational change, the analysis and enhancement of the student experience and the adoption of metrics based performance management. She also provides expert advice on information systems, data management, information strategy and the enhancement of digital teaching, learning and student support. In a personal capacity she provides mentoring and coaching to a number of senior staff in higher education.
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Emeritus Professor Janelle Allison
Principal Advisor+61 408 452 548
Janelle.allison@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
Emeritus Professor Janelle Allison has over 25 years’ experience in higher education and most recently was Pro Vice-Chancellor (Community, Partnerships and Regional Development) and Principal of University College at the University of Tasmania.
Janelle has a background in Geography and Regional Planning. She has worked with regional communities and in regional development in Australia, (particularly Queensland) as well as overseas in Africa, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia and Indonesia. Janelle has taught in a range of settings including planning/ design studios, rural community development, short courses and training for regional development in provincial governments in Indonesia and more recently into the Bachelor of Regional Resource Management on Cradle Coast Campus. In this role Janelle has introduced students to intensive mode delivery and problem based learning.
More recently Janelle has focused her interest on alternative participation strategies and entry pathways to learning – a critical issue for the North West of Tasmania. She led the establishment and development of University College and its innovative curriculum model for two-year associate degrees designed to provide new and alternative pathways for Tasmanians into higher education.
Janelle’s career has had a long-term focus and impact on workforce development and local and regional economic development. Her work has been pursued within an applied and reflective research model. She is a Business Member of the Joint Commonwealth Tasmania Economic Committee (JCTEC).
Janelle partners with Wells Advisory on key projects.
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Scott Bohan
Consultant+61 483 000 840
scott.bohan@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
Bachelor of Commerce MELB
Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) Deakin
Passed Level II of the CFA ProgramScott is a consultant within our Strategy and Planning practice. He brings over eight years of experience in managing the portfolios and providing strategic direction to large superannuation and investment funds.
Prior to joining Wells Advisory, Scott worked on the investments team at VicSuper, managing over $25 billion in retirement savings across Real Assets, Private Equity, Fixed Interest, Alternatives and Equities.
Scott brings investment consulting and research experience from his time at Lonsec Research and Russell Investments, working with a number of clients within higher education. He also brings experience from a regulation perspective, having commenced his career at the Australian Securities & Investments Commission.
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Emeritus Professor Mike Calford
Principal Advisor+61 439 421 781
mike.calford@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
BSc(Hons) Monash University
PhD, Monash UniversityEmeritus Professor Mike Calford is one of Australia’s most experienced and outstanding university leaders with over 15 years of serving senior leadership roles in the Australian higher education industry. In his most recent appointment as the Provost of Australia National University, Mike took the responsibility for driving the delivery of the ANU Strategic Plan, including reforming student admissions and budget processes. Prior to this, Mike was the Provost at the University of Tasmania for four years where he helped win government funding for a campus relocation project that was focused on harnessing the power of education to change lives, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Newcastle for five years where he led the growth in its research capacity to a top-10 ERA showing in 2012, and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Health and Medical Research) at the University of Wollongong in 2013.
In addition to his university leadership career, Mike is a leading researcher in the field of neuroscience. After receiving a doctorate at Monash University, Mike held research and teaching roles at the Universities of Queensland and Melbourne, and at ANU. He also worked overseas at the University of Oxford, the University of California Irvine and City University of New York.
During his academic career, Professor Calford has received numerous prestigious research fellowships, medals and awards, including a Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship in 1984 and a Distinguished Service Medal from the Hunter Medical Research Institute in 2013.
Mike partners with Wells Advisory’s clients in the higher education sector nationally and internationally, drawing on his extensive experience in research, education strategy and management. Mike will have a particular focus on research- and innovation-related reviews, university budget model reviews, faculty and organisational reviews, and growth strategy.
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Robert Cameron
Associate Consultant+61 438 576 644
robert.cameron@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
BA, BBus, M Public Policy (Monash University)
Robert Cameron is an Associate Consultant at Wells Advisory working within our Regulation and Quality Practice. With a strong interest in policy, governance and regulation, Robert understands the complex operating environment of the higher education sector. Robert has a broad range of skills and experiences that he brings to projects gained through a professional background in business development, communications and media.
Prior to joining Wells Advisory, Robert worked as a captioner in broadcast media. He created live captions for major national and international news organisations as well sporting events and government panels.
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Michelle Canny
Senior Engagement Manager+61 483 000 807
michelle.canny@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
Bec, Monash University, MCom from The University of Sydney
Michelle provides strategic regulator advice based on her expertise and technical knowledge of the tertiary education sector. Prior to joining Wells Advisory, Michelle was the Director Policy and Performance Reporting at Construction Skills Queensland ad she held roles as Senior Advisor to the Victorian Education Minister, senior policy roles in the Victorian Department of Education (including as Acting Director Skills Policy & Strategy), with a focus on the VET sector, and has worked as a management consultant at a number of other consulting firms. These roles have seen her work with the most senior levels of government and directly with a range of universities and TAFE institutes in Victoria, NSW and Queensland. Michelle has provided trusted in advice on complex issues ranging from funding and research applications, pathways evaluations, policy issues and business cases.
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Professor Hamish Coates
Principal Advisor+96 187 0158 3083
hamish.coates@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
BSc (Melb)
BA (Hons) (Melb)
MEd (Melb)
PhD (Melb)Professor Hamish Coates contributes to the field of higher education through research, leadership and development. Over 20 years he has led over 70 influential projects, worked across 50 countries, authored over 200 publications, procured over AU$25 million in funding, conducted hundreds of workshops, given over 270 keynotes and presentations, and generated ongoing revenue streams. He has an h-index of 35, more than 5,500 citations, and is sought internationally as a speaker.
Hamish is a Tenured Professor at Tsinghua University’s Institute of Education and also Deputy Director of its Global Research Centre for the Assessment of College and Student Development. He was Professor of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne, Founding Director of Higher Education Research at the Australian Council for Educational Research, and Program Director at the LH Martin Institute for Tertiary Leadership and Management.
Hamish concentrates on improving the quality and productivity of higher education. Considered an authority in several areas, areas of expertise include large-scale evaluation, tertiary education policy, institutional strategy, assessment methodology, learner engagement and success, and academic work and leadership.
Hamish partners with Wells Advisory on key projects.
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Chris Cobb
Principal AdvisorRead Bio
Chris has over 35 years’ higher education experience holding senior positions at the London School of Economics, Roehampton University and most recently as PVC & Chief Operating Officer for the University of London. He is also an experienced interim leader overseeing both change and transition. Chris Cobb is CEO at the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
Chris is particularly expert in organisational development, governance, digital strategies, and estates master planning. As a former member of the HUMANE Executive (2018-2020) and the AHUA Executive (2014-2016) Chris is well networked with senior University leaders in the UK and across Europe. He has sat on a number of national working groups including the OfS HE Financial Sustainability Steering Group, the HESA Data Futures Programme Board and in 2020 he led a national QAA / Jisc / Emerge Education review of digital assessment.
Chris is a judge for the Times Higher and he sits on the boards of Advance HE and Cass & Claredale Student Housing Trust. He is also a governor of Goodenough College, a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Chris is a regular speaker at HE and technology conferences and has sat on a number of national working groups relating to IT in Higher Education. Chris was a member of Oracle EMEA HE Advisory Group, Ovum’s Future EdTech Advisory Board and the HEFCE Shared Services working group. He has also undertaken funded research in the use of enterprise architecture within a university context with the specific aim of developing a services oriented architecture.
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Dr Carolyn Daniel
Senior Consultant+61 417 431 600
carolyn.daniel@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
PhD (Mon)
BA (Hons) (VU)Dr Carolyn Daniel, Senior Consultant, brings substantial contemporary experience in higher education regulation, policy and quality assurance. Carolyn has held senior roles in both Commonwealth and Victorian Government within the education portfolios, most recently in a senior regulatory role at TEQSA. Combined with a background in educational policy and academic research, Carolyn has a strong knowledge of the Australian tertiary education sector including higher education and vocational training. As Senior Consultant, Carolyn provides strategic regulatory advice based on her expertise and technical knowledge of the tertiary education sector, in particular higher education entry and quality improvement for colleges and universities already registered.
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Professor Andrew Flitman
Principal Advisorandrew.flitman@wellsadvisory.co
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PhD, Warwick Uni, UK
Prof Andrew Flitman, who is currently Principal of iMORSE (an analytics and higher education consultancy firm), has extensive higher education leadership and governance experience and has worked across both public and private sectors.
Andrew held leadership roles in the Australian higher education industry for over a decade including Deputy VC (Research) at Swinburne University (2007-2012), Dean of Science and Technology at Deakin University (2005-2007), and Head of School (Business Systems) at Monash University (2000-2005). He was first promoted to Professor at Monash in 1997.
In addition to his university leadership career, Andrew is an internationally recognised expert in financial (corporate and market) and strategic computer modelling with extensive commercial consulting experience serving senior positions at Deloitte Haskins and Sells (UK), Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte (UK), and Price Waterhouse (Melbourne).
Since obtaining his PhD in Operations Research from Warwick University UK, Andrew has published well over 100 research publications and has authored a number of commercial reports. He is also a Fellow of both the Australian Computer Society and the Operational Research Society.
Andrew partners with Wells Advisory’s clients in the higher education sector nationally and internationally with a particular focus on education and research strategy, and governance and performance analytics.
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Derick Gyabeng
Associate Consultant+61 477 177 691
derick.gyabeng@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
Derick is an Associate within our Strategy and Planning practice. Derick has a background in scientific research, across materials engineering and chemistry, as well as advanced qualifications in data analytics.
Prior to Wells Advisory, Derick completed his research studies in Australia and South Korea, focusing on advanced experimental techniques and computational simulation in novel energy storage applications. His research experience included both fundamental scientific development as well as exploration of commercial / industrial applications and outcomes.
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Dr Elizabeth Halford
Principal Advisor+44 796 091 0298
liz.halford@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
EdD (UCL)
MA (Oxford Brookes)
Principal Fellow HEALiz is an independent higher education consultant with extensive experience as an academic and senior leader in UK universities and regulatory agencies. Previously Head of Research and Intelligence at the UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) from 2012 – 2016, she was also Head of Validation and Review at the University of West London. Liz’s specialist areas of expertise are in the strategic development of higher education institutions, together with the quality assurance and enhancement of higher education provision. Her approach to problem solving and seeking solutions is based upon practical experience of teaching and managing higher education, underpinned by applied research and her appointments in governance roles in public and private providers. Liz has published and presented internationally on the challenges of regulating diversity in pluralistic systems of higher education.
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Professor Sir Deian Hopkin
Principal AdvisorRead Bio
BA (Hons), PhD (Wales)
Hon D.Litt (London, Glamorgan), Hon LL.D (McGill), Hon D.Univ (Open)
Hon Fellow, Aberystwyth University, University of Wales Trinity St David’s
Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Science,
Fellow of City and Guilds Institute of London
Hon Fellow, Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineering
Freeman of the City of LondonDeian’s areas of interest are governance, strategic planning, resource management, income generation and workforce development. He has also long experience of distance learning and the use of technology in pedagogy having spent 18 years working as an associate at the Open University. This profile is a strong fit with Wells Advisory and its clients.
A historian by profession, Sir Deian Hopkin has worked in six UK universities over a 45-year career, culminating as Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of London South Bank University and later as interim Vice-Chancellor of the University of East London. He was an early adopter of new technologies in the humanities and co-founder of the Association of History and Computing. Deian was founding Chairman of Cityside Regeneration in London, was appointed by the Secretary of State to the UK Learning and Skills Council, the Healthcare Sector Skills Council, and as an Apprenticeships Ambassador.
Deian co-chaired the Higher Education Progression Board at the Department of Education, was a member of the Mayor of London’s Employment and Skills Board, and from 2008 to 2020 served on the Council of City and Guilds. He has been a governor of two Further Education Colleges in London and the Council and Court of the University of Essex. Following his inquiry for the Government into the failures of the Student Loans Company in 2009/10, he was appointed interim Chair.
Deian was a member of the BBC General Advisory Council and was President of the National Library of Wales until 2016. From 2012 to 2020, Deian was the Expert Adviser to the First Minister of Wales, Chair of Wales Remembers, 1914-18, and served on the UK Centenary Advisory Board. He currently serves on the Higher Education Commission in Westminster and is a trustee of the Council for Academics-at-Risk (CARA), the Campaign for Learning and the Worshipful Company of Educators in the City of London. He is a founding Associate Partner of Anderson Quigley Executive Search and since 2012 has been involved in the appointment of numerous senior university managers, including Vice-Chancellors and Chairs of Governors. In 2009 he was knighted for services to higher education and to skills in the UK.
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Sendur Kathir
Principal Advisor+61 404 007 557
sendur.kathir@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
AICD
MBA (Mon)
B.A.Sc. (RMIT)
B.E. (RMIT)Sendur Kathir is a highly experienced leader in information technology, especially the rapidly evolving digital landscape in education markets. He has over 20 years’ experience in education, government and telecommunications.
He started his career in consulting and progressed to senior vendor-side roles. In 2005 he took on the role of CIO at The University of Melbourne, later styled Executive Director Digital. Over a decade in this role, Sendur led one of the largest and most diverse IT portfolios in Australia. In 2015, he was awarded Education CIO of the Year. In recent years, his digital leadership has delivered key initiatives in mobility, analytics, business intelligence, social media integration, 3D printing and cloud adoption. He has a significant transformation track record underpinned by financial and cultural turnarounds. He is expert at visioning, strategy formulation and execution to enable business growth.
Sendur has strong commercial acumen, having held full P&L responsibility for up to $500 million and leading teams of up to 12 direct reports and 600 indirect reports. Sendur has served on several Boards including Victorian Education and Research Network (VERNet) and various Commonwealth and State Government initiatives.
Sendur partners with Wells Advisory on key projects.
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Dr Tom Kennie
Principal Advisor+ 44 (0) 7956 677860
tom.kennie@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
BSc, MAppSCi, University of Glasgow; PhD, Imperial College, London; MBA, Roffey Park Management Institute, University of Sussex
Tom is the Founding Director of Ranmore Consulting group, UK. His practice focuses on the higher education and research sectors and also in the professional service sector. Tom is a leading expert in designing tailored leadership programmes, coaching executives, consulting organisational development and change management projects as well as conducting research and evaluation work for his clients. Tom has extensive experience in working with Vice-Chancellors and their top teams in helping them to navigate change and deliver success.
Prior to moving into consultancy, Tom held Executive roles within the Human Resource function in several international companies across the property and engineering industries. He has also been a full-time academic spending 8 years as the Head of Surveying in the School of Engineering at the University of Surrey, UK and 4 years at the University of Technology in Kingston, Jamaica. Tom’s academic background is in geography and topographic sciences, remote sensing and GIS and business management.
He holds Visiting Professorships in Nottingham Business School, UK the School of the Built Environment at the University of Salford, UK and he is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. He is also a Key Associate of The Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and has recently completed a period of 8 years as one of three Vice Presidents of the International Federation of Surveyors.
Tom is an Associate of Wells Advisory in Australia.
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Karmen Kong
Associate Consultant+61 419 030 733
karmen.kong@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
Bach of Biomed (Hons) (University of Melbourne)
Karmen Kong is an Associate Consultant within our Strategy and Planning practice. Karmen brings to the team her strong background in biomedical research across academic and industry settings, in particular cell biology where she studied mechanisms of stem cell aging in the Royal Women’s Hospital, in collaboration with clinicians and midwives.
Prior to joining Wells Advisory, Karmen was a Product Development Scientist for an ASX-listed clinical stage pharmaceutical company where she conducted release assays and data analysis for the Research & Development team. Karmen is also very active in social and cultural events, and was awarded the Leaders in Communities Award by the University of Melbourne.
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Emeritus Professor Peter Lee
Principal Advisor+61 419 941 175
peter.lee@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
LLD (Monash, Honoris Causa)
PhD, (ChemEng) (Monash)
B.E. (ChemEng) (RMIT)Emeritus Professor Peter Lee is an experienced senior executive of large organisations that have complex stakeholder environments. Peter’s unique combination of technical excellence and understanding of human and stakeholder psyche means he has regularly been called upon to guide corporate, government and non-government organisations.
He was the Vice-Chancellor & CEO at Southern Cross University for seven years after having held senior positions at the University of South Australia (DVC Academic), Curtin University of Technology (Executive Dean of Engineering, Science and Computing) and Murdoch University (Foundation Dean of Engineering). He has served on a number of corporate, university, research and government boards, including the peak body, Universities Australia, for which he was Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk committee. Peter is an expert in corporate and academic governance of higher education institutions.
Peter is one of the most highly distinguished engineers in Australia. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering; and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia. He has been repeatedly named as one of the most influential engineers in Australia and has been awarded the Centenary Medal for services to Australian society. Emeritus Professor Lee has authored four books and 270 journal papers.
Peter partners with Wells Advisory on key projects.
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Dr Ione Lewis
ConsultantRead Bio
PHD UNSW
Grad Dip ContEd UNE
BSocStud (Social Work) USYD Dip Psychotherapy ANZAP (professional qualification)Dr Ione Lewis, Regulatory Consultant, is an experienced higher education quality assurance expert. With twenty years of experience in senior academic roles across the higher education sector Ione has acquired in depth knowledge of the sector including the regulatory environment in which it operates.
Ione has developed a track record of working successfully with prospective and currently registered higher education providers to implement internal quality assurance processes and prepare for external regulatory application processes.
Ione has expertise in the development and review of policy suites aligned to regulatory requirements and tailored to the individual context of each provider; the review of corporate and academic governance arrangements in higher education; compliance audits; and course review.
Ione publishes on the topic of quality assurance in higher education in peer-reviewed journals and is passionate about diversity in the higher education sector.
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Dr Michelle Mosiere
Senior ConsultantRead Bio
PhD (Mon)
GRAD DIP ED (Mon)
BA (Hons) (Mon)
CERT IV TAA (RMIT)Dr Michelle Mosiere, Consultant, advises independent higher education providers (HEPs) on course accreditations, initial registrations and quality frameworks. A highly experienced corporate trainer, Michelle specialises in compliance training and professional development workshops. Prior to joining Wells Advisory, Michelle held a regulatory role at the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), senior communication and stakeholder engagement roles in the Victorian government, compliance and auditing roles at RTOs, teaching roles at RMIT University and Swinburne University, and a national broadcasting role at SBS.
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Mireille Oberholster
Consultant+61 455 557 522
mireille.oberholster@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
MID (Politecnico di Milano); BSc (Int Arch) (University of Pretoria)
Mireille is a qualified interior architect and educator, and a consultant within our Regulation and Quality Practice. She brings over ten years of leadership and strategy experience in the creative arts and higher education sectors. Prior to joining Wells Advisory, Mireille worked on the executive team at LCI Melbourne, a private higher education provider leading new program development in the creative arts. LCI is a multi-national tertiary education provider head-officed in Canada.
Mireille brings consulting, strategic and industry experience from her time at global companies like IKEA, working with various teams expanding in new markets across Australia and Asia. She is experienced leading teams to successfully seek accreditation of new higher education qualifications and renewing registration as a higher education provider.
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Chris Patton
Principal Advisor+61 408 283 679
chris.patton@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
Bachelor of Arts (UBC)
Master of Arts (GUELPH)Chris has over 30 years’ experience in the higher education sector in both Australia and Canada including roles at UBC, UoG, SFU, UOW, La Trobe, UNE, SCU and Navitas and is currently Principal and Founder of McKay Patton Advisory Pty Ltd. As vice president at UNE and SCU for 10 years he was responsible for substantial enrolment growth in both domestic and international students.
Chris has detailed experience launching, leading or controlling several third party arrangements from both the for-profit and public university provider perspective, both on-shore and internationally. He has been involved in scoping, negotiating and successfully launching other innovative education venture partnerships such as launching SCU Online with Keypath Australia. Based on this complex exposure over almost two decades to market forces facing higher education in Australia, Chris is at the forefront of understanding the challenges and the emerging risks faced by public and for-profit Australian education providers as they compete to remain relevant in a dynamic market.
Chris specialises in the areas of business development, student enrolment growth strategy, the application and operation of entrepreneurial public private ventures to harness growth opportunities and the improvement of providers’ operations and compliance with regulatory requirements in Australia.
Chris partners with Wells Advisory on key projects.
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Kha Yen Prentice
Senior Consultant+61 488 318 008
khayen.prentice@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
MEco(Rsch)
GradDip(AdvEco)
GradDip(Eco)
BBusAdminKha Yen Prentice, Regulatory Consultant, has strong regulatory expertise having spent the last 20 years of her professional career working with Federal and Victorian government agencies across diverse sectors. Through her experience with regulatory frameworks in the telecommunications, energy and, finally, the higher education sectors, she is highly adept at reading, interpreting and applying legislation. Kha Yen also has strong report writing skills, developed over years of experience preparing reports for the public as well as senior government officials.
Prior to joining Wells Advisory, Kha Yen was part of a team at the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency reviewing applications from entities wanting higher education provider registration. This involved reviewing evidence against the Threshold Standards, particularly around the corporate and academic governance requirements, and making recommendations on whether registration should be granted. She therefore has a sound understanding of what TEQSA requires.
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Professor Sue Savage
Principal Advisor+61 416 137 578
sue.savage@wellsadvisory.coRead Bio
B ARCH (HONS) UQ
M ARCH (RESEARCH) UQ
DIP ADULT+VOCATIONAL ED GRIFFITHProfessional Roles and Awards:
- Chair, Board of Architects of Queensland (2003-2018)
- Principal Fellow, Higher Education Academy, UK
- Life Fellow, Australian Institute of Architects
- Australian Learning and Teaching Council Discipline Scholar Architecture 2010-2011
- Member (and Director at times) Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (2003-2018)
- Architect (registered in Queensland 1983-current)
Sue has a long history in the higher education sector, most recently providing consultancy services to universities, private providers and accreditation bodies. Prior to this she chaired the Board of Architects in Queensland for 15 years. Sue had a distinguished career at Queensland University of Technology spanning 19 years including as Director of Learning Futures in the Chancellery and as Assistant Dean Learning & Teaching of her cognate faculty for eight years. Sue has significant experience leading integrated curriculum design across disciplines, modernising work-integrated learning and course accreditation.
Sue has continued her education in recent times, completing the Harvard Business School Executive Education course ‘Launching new ventures’ in 2018 and in 2011 completing the Cranlana Program ‘Cultivating wisdom in leadership’. She is currently completing an Executive MBA at QUT.
Sue focuses on working collaboratively with clients to develop solutions that are in the interests of learners. She listens carefully to client’s stories ensuring she gets to heart of the problems they are encountering. Sue is recognised for fusing deep knowledge of the context and practice of learning and teaching in higher education, and in other post-secondary settings, with imaginative problem-solving capability focused always on the benefits that can accrue to a client’s learners.
Sue partners with Wells Advisory on key projects.
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Dr Glenn Swafford
Principal Advisorglenn.swafford@wellsadvisory.co
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PHD, FLINDERS UNIVERSITY
M POL LAW, LA TROBE UNIVERSITY
BA(Hons), University of WellingtonDr Glenn Swafford is a senior manager with strong interests in policy analysis and development as well as research strategy and advice. Glenn has a 20+ year track record of significant achievement in research management and administration particularly at University of Melbourne where he held senior management roles in its Research and Innovation Office for 15 years and at Oxford University, UK as the Director of Research Services for 10 years. Both offices respectively raked in top rankings for service quality and customer satisfaction under Glenn’s direction and leadership.
Glenn continues to be a strategic advisor of the Research, Innovation and Commercialisation at University of Melbourne and has international experience at board/committee levels. In addition to his university career, Glenn is an executive consultant to a number of international clients and is highly involved in community volunteering and sports.
Glenn partners with Wells Advisory’s clients in the higher education sector nationally and internationally, drawing on his extensive experience in research strategy and management.
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Helen Thorne
Principal AdvisorRead Bio
BSc (Hons) Field of Study Biology/Biological Sciences, General (University of York)
Helen is an experienced executive with over 20 years of experience working within the higher education sector in the UK and US. Helen brings specialised expertise across research, innovation, student recruitment and admissions. She was awarded an MBE for services to the administration of science in 2007.
Helen was an executive director at UCAS, a charity responsible for facilitating student choices and applications and admissions to UK universities and colleges between 2010 and 2020. She was part of the team that led the transformation of UCAS into an agile, digital business and has a wide range of leadership experience across strategy, digital product development, marketing and government and stakeholder relations. Additionally, Helen led national consultations on reforming aspects of university admissions and sat on advisory committees for widening access to higher education, better regulation and use of higher education data, and student finance.
Helen is currently a Trustee on the Board of Northumbria University in Newcastle and a member of its Strategic Performance Committee. Prior to this, Helen held senior positions at the Russell Group of Universities and the UK’s Research Councils, including establishing the Councils’ presence in the US to grow trans-Atlantic research collaboration.
Helen partners with Wells Advisory’s clients in the higher education sector nationally and internationally with particular focus in student recruitment and business transformation.
