Team
Our team is passionate about higher education and its transformative possibilities
Consultants
Our on-the-ground consultants in Australia and the UK are highly experienced advisors with deep sector experience
Associates
From our extensive networks, we have chosen to partner with a number of leading experts to bring specialized expertise, connectivity and capacity
Alliances
We are building a number of alliances to benefit our clients in terms of impact
Consultants
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Michael Wells
Director, Australia and UKRead Bio
BA LLB (Melb)
M Marketing (Melb)Mr Michael Wells, Founding Director, is one of the leading advisors on higher education in Australia. He advises universities and independent higher education providers (iHEPs) on governance, business planning, regulatory strategy, and quality assurance. Michael was a full-time Commissioner at the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) from 2011-2015 and Executive Director of Finance and Planning at the University of Melbourne from 2005-2011 where he was a member of the Senior Executive Committee and Academic Board. Prior to the University of Melbourne, Michael’s career focussed on legal practice, strategy consulting and brand valuation.
+61 418 316 606
michael.wells@wellsadvisory.co -
Professor Roger King
Director & Chair, UKRead 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.
+44 787 969 5261
roger.king@wellsadvisory.co -
Sarah Griggs
Principal and Practice Lead, Strategy and PlanningRead Bio
BA (Hons) (Melb)
GAICD (AICD)Ms Sarah Griggs, Principal, leads our Strategy and Planning practice. She has worked in higher education for over twenty years, bringing extensive experience in strategy development and implementation, leadership and management, institutional performance and business intelligence. At Wells Advisory, Sarah specialises in strategic and business planning, student profile planning and accountability frameworks, faculty structures and governance models, strategic risk frameworks, organisational change and KPI setting. Previously, Sarah held senior leadership roles at the University of Melbourne, including the Director, University Strategy, Planning and Performance and the General Manager, Faculty of Arts.
+61 438 576 644
sarah.griggs@wellsadvisory.co -
Dr Paula Kelly
Principal and Practice Lead, Regulation and QualityRead Bio
BA (Hons) (Mon)
Grad Cert Quality Assurance (Melb)
MA (Mon)
PhD (Melb)Dr Paula Kelly, Principal, leads 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).
+61 427 318 362
paula.kelly@wellsadvisory.co -
Jeanette Cremor
Operations ManagerRead Bio
Jeanette Cremor 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 leading business change in government, higher education and utilities sectors.
+61 419 021 008
jeanette.cremor@wellsadvisory.co -
Dr Guy Edwards
Engagement Manager, Strategy and PlanningRead 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.
+61 473 216 388
guy.edwards@wellsadvisory.co -
Dr Carolyn Daniel
Senior ConsultantRead 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.
+61 417 431 600
carolyn.daniel@wellsadvisory.co -
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.
+61 400 310 937
michelle.mosiere@wellsadvisory.co -
Anna To
Senior Business AnalystRead Bio
BA/BSc (Hons) (Melb)
Anna To, Senior Business Analyst, specialises in analysing complex quantitative information and providing data insights for a diverse range of audiences and contexts. Her experience spans across higher education, local and state government, and not-for-profit sectors. Anna is the primary analyst at Wells Advisory, working on a wide range of projects and providing analytic support, insights and advice to the team. Prior to joining Wells Advisory, Anna held analyst positions at the University of Melbourne and Victoria University, providing information and insights to senior management. Areas of focus include: market and competitor analysis, student experience, retention, graduate outcomes, modelling impacts arising from government policy changes as well as identifying risks and opportunities.
+61 419 030 733
anna.to@wellsadvisory.co -
Kha Yen Prentice
ConsultantRead 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.
+61 488 318 008
khayen.prentice@wellsadvisory.co -
Julie Larsen
ConsultantRead Bio
BA (Asian Studies) (ANU)
GRAD DIP (Conflict Resolution) (La Trobe)Julie Larsen, Consultant, Regulation and Quality, is a policy and standards specialist who has more than 30 years’ experience in higher education. Julie has held management roles in admissions, international, research and research training portfolios across several Victorian universities. After initial training as an editor Julie has specialised in policy writing and has extensive experience in overhauling policies and policy frameworks to align with the regulatory environment and to match contemporary business practice. Prior to joining Wells Advisory Julie held a position as Senior Advisor, Policy and Standards at La Trobe University.
+61 439 880 083
julie.larsen@wellsadvisory.co -
Janelle Brooks
Manager, Finance & HRRead Bio
Janelle Brooks is the Finance & HR Manager at Wells Advisory. She has an extensive background and qualifications in administration and human resource management, specializing in employee relations and has previously held roles as Executive Assistant, Administration Manager, and Human Resources Business Partner in a range of sectors, including media, retail and insurance. Janelle has also run her own business. Most recently, Janelle has been Practice Manager of a busy Eastern Suburbs dental practice. Janelle holds an Undergraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from the University of West London (England) and a Certificate of Office Management (Box Hill Institute).
+61 432 777 170
janelle.brooks@wellsadvisory.co -
Beatrix Gan
Projects and Administration OfficerRead Bio
M.B. (Mon)
BA (Mon)Beatrix supports the Wells Advisory team on a wide range of projects as well as business administration. She has particular experience in market analysis, marketing communications and project coordination and has worked in a range of sectors including government, consultancy and FMCG. Beatrix holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Business from Monash University.
+61 400 904 926
beatrix.gan@wellsadvisory.co
Associates
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Alison Allden OBE
Principal AdviserRead 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.
+44 7867 908 026
alison.allden@wellsadvisory.co -
Emeritus Professor Janelle Allison
Principal AdviserRead 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.
+61 408 452 548
Janelle.allison@wellsadvisory.co -
Amarjit Singh Basi
Principal AdviserRead Bio
BEd (Open University)
Fellow of The City and Guilds of LondonAmarjit is an experienced leader of strategic change in a broad range of tertiary education organisations specialising in regulatory compliance and quality assurance. He has a demonstrable track record of leading organisations in embedding excellence across curriculum and service delivery. Over the past 20 years, he has held roles with regulatory agencies covering learning and teaching, curriculum review, external verification and quality improvement. This includes board level experience, as a non-executive director at Pearson plc.
Amarjit is a Fellow of The City and Guilds of London, awarded for Outstanding Service in Further and Higher Education.
+44 0774 745 5441
amarjit.basi@wellsadvisory.co -
Emeritus Professor John Brennan
Principal AdviserRead Bio
BSc (Lond)
MA (Lanc)
Fellow of the UK Society for Higher Education Research, (SRHE)
Member of the international Consortium of Higher Education Researchers (CHER)
Member of the Peer Review panel of the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)John is Emeritus Professor of Higher Education Research at the Open University and a Visiting Professor at the University of Bath and at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is also an Honorary Research Fellow at Oxford University.
For nearly 20 years, he directed the Centre for Higher Education Research and Information at the Open University where he led and participated in many national and international projects, including leadership of a European Science Foundation programme on Higher Education and Social Change which contained an international comparative project on The Changing Academic Profession.
He has undertaken consultancy work for many policy bodies in the field of higher education, including the European Commission, UNESCO, OECD, the UK Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the UK Quality Assurance Agency, the UK Higher Education Academy and UK funding councils.
He has published extensively on a broad range of topics relating to higher education including standards and quality and their assessment, graduate outcomes, social equality issues, the regional engagement of universities, and the social and cultural transformative effects of higher education.
+44 797 001 6741
john.brennan@wellsadvisory.co -
Emeritus Professor Mike Calford
Principal AdviserRead 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.
+61 439 421 781
mike.calford@wellsadvisory.co -
Professor Hamish Coates
Principal AdviserRead 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.
+96 187 0158 3083
hamish.coates@wellsadvisory.co -
Leo Falcone
Principal AdviserRead Bio
BA (Hons) (UNDA)
Pg Dip Ec (Birkbeck)
MAICD (AICD)For over 20 years Leo has developed and delivered strategy for some of the world’s leading organisations.
He advises both public universities and private higher education clients on strategy, governance, policy & compliance, business modelling/analytics, operational excellence, transformation, digital and organisational development.
Most recently, he served in Director/Executive Director roles at the University of Sydney, across Registrar, Operations and Strategy/Planning functions. Prior to that, Leo spent 15 years in management consulting in the UK, based in London, including significant assignments for a number of UK universities. He has an impressive record of successfully delivering key strategic and operational initiatives, that he brings to his client engagements.
Leo is also passionate about enhancing our firm’s efficient systems and processes that ensure quality deliverables, global perspectives and that create optimal value for our clients.
+44 (0)770 335 9332
leo.falcone@wellsadvisory.co -
Dr Alex Griffiths
Principal AdviserRead Bio
PhD Management (King’s College London)
MSc Risk Analysis (King’s College London)
BSc Mathematics (University of Leeds)Alex is an experienced Data Scientist, Consultant and a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has a proven track record of delivering solutions to real-world data-modelling problems in a broad range of areas with a special focus on higher education. Alex’s ability to find and communicate complex analytical solutions to a range of audiences have led to him working with numerous regulators and providers, giving evidence to parliamentary select committees, and speaking at industry events.
+44 7595 666 687
alex.griffiths@wellsadvisory.co -
Dr Elizabeth Halford
Principal AdviserRead 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.
+44 796 091 0298
liz.halford@wellsadvisory.co -
Sendur Kathir
Principal AdviserRead 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.
+61 404 007 557
sendur.kathir@wellsadvisory.co -
Dr Tom Kennie
Principal AdviserRead 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.
+ 44 (0) 7956 677860
tom.kennie@wellsadvisory.co -
Dr Jack Lee
Principal AdviserRead Bio
PhD (University of Toronto)
M.Ed (University of British Columbia)
B.Sc (University of British Columbia)Jack is an expert and leader in international and comparative higher education. He has many years of experience in the internationalization of higher education including transnational education, intercultural training, education hubs, regionalization, and cultural diplomacy.
Jack is currently the Director of Studies of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Higher Education Management program at the University of Bath in the UK. He has conducted research in Canada, Central, East and Southeast Asia, Germany and Jordan.
His current projects focus on China’s One Belt, One Road policy, German binational universities, and research capacity building in Kazakhstan.
+44 748 382 4232
jack.lee@wellsadvisory.co -
Emeritus Professor Peter Lee
Principal AdviserRead 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.
+61 419 941 175
peter.lee@wellsadvisory.co -
Chris Patton
Principal AdviserRead 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.
+61 408 283 679
chris.patton@wellsadvisory.co -
Professor Sue Savage
Principal AdviserRead 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.
+61 416 137 578
sue.savage@wellsadvisory.co -
Dr Glenn Swafford
Principal AdviserRead Bio
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.
