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SAHE People

Governing Council

Professor Ross Chapman - Chair of Governing Council at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

Emeritus Professor
Ross CHAPMAN

Independent Chair, Governing Council

Ross is an accomplished academic leader and expert in research, management, and governance within the higher education sector. With an extensive background in academia and industry, Ross holds several relevant qualifications including a Ph.D. and a Company Directors Diploma. He is an Emeritus Professor, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and a Life Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM). His research and consulting expertise encompasses the management of quality, technology and innovation. Ross has authored numerous publications, including books, journal articles, and invited keynote papers, contributing significantly to his field.

Throughout his distinguished career, Ross has held diverse roles including Director, Centre for Industry and Innovation Studies, Professor of Business Systems, and Associate Dean (Research) at various institutions. His leadership extends to roles like Head of the Department of Management, Marketing & Tourism, and Dean of Graduate Studies. Ross's pivotal role as Head of the Deakin Graduate School of Business showcased his proficiency in managing a large team and leading accreditations while his private sector experience and non-executive director positions demonstrated his expertise in wider governance roles. Ross's governance contributions to professional organizations such as ANZAM and his involvement as a regional editor for international journals underscore his commitment to advancing academic scholarship and governance practices. As Chair of the Governing Council at the Southern Academy Higher Education, his extensive experience, leadership, and dedication make him a valuable asset in guiding strategic decisions and driving institutional excellence.

Li Hwan Watt - Chief Operating Officer at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

Professor
Philip SeltsikAs

Member

Professor Philip Seltsikas is an internationally recognized tertiary education professional with 30 years of extensive leadership experience across higher education. He holds a PhD in Information Systems and Business Process Management from Aston University (UK), where he also earned an MSc (Research) in Business Management and a BSc (Hons.) in Managerial and Administrative Studies. His career includes academic and executive roles, such as Associate Dean and Head of Department at the University of Sydney, and Pro Vice-Chancellor Student Engagement and Success at Charles Darwin University. At the University of Nottingham’s China campus he was VP Education and Student Experience. Professor Seltsikas has a track record of attracting significant funding in competitive research funds and has led numerous multi-national research projects, including those funded by the Australian Research Council and the European Commission. He has also published extensively in the field of information systems.

Professor Yvette Blount – Executive Dean and Academic Board Member at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

Professor
Yvette Blount

Member

Professor Yvette Blount has over 20 years of experience in public universities and institutes of higher education. As evidence of effective and inclusive practice in learning and teaching, and a sustained record of leading and supporting high-quality learning in higher education, she was awarded the Senior Fellowship of AdvanceHE (SFHEA) in 2018. She holds a PhD in Information Systems, an MBA (Professional Accounting), and a Bachelor of Business (Management Information Systems).

Before her current role, Yvette was the Business Dean at VIT, where she was responsible for overseeing the MBA and business courses for both domestic and international students. Prior to that, she was Dean and Associate Professor at Skyline Higher Education Australia, where she led all academic operations, including the successful TEQSA accreditation of the Bachelor of IT and Master of IT courses. Earlier in her career, she was an Associate Professor at Macquarie University Business School, where she held various leadership positions, including faculty board member and course director. She was also involved in the accreditation of the Business School with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and with the accounting professional bodies CPA and CAANZ.

Yvette is currently an Honorary Associate Professor at the Deakin Business School, Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University. In this role, she has built productive teaching, entrepreneurial, and scholarly relationships and has identified and secured strategic opportunities for scholarship, including publications. At Deakin University, she supports research in several cutting-edge fields, including teleworking (also known as Anywhere Working), supply chain management, telehealth, cybersecurity (with a focus on governance, management, and ethics), blockchain, and other emerging technologies. These areas are reshaping how we work, learn, and live, with teleworking offering organisations a sustainable competitive advantage by increasing service quality and enabling flexibility, especially in the evolving post-COVID-19 landscape.

Before transitioning to academia, Yvette held senior and consulting positions in the banking and IT sectors. Her combined industry and academic expertise informs her teaching philosophy, which centres on creating an engaging learning environment that allows students to connect with coursework in ways that align with their individual learning styles.

John Ridge OAM - Member of Governing Council at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

John Ridge OAM

Member

John Ridge AM was appointed Executive Director of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) in January 2005. The ACS Foundation runs student developmental programs that are in response to the technology industry needs. By listening to governments, industry associations, technology companies, education institutions and sponsors in general, we formulate, invest and run programs for the long-term benefit of Australia's technology sector. As the inaugural Chairman of the Foundation and he was also president of the ACS in 2000 and 2001. He worked tirelessly to ensure the ACS Foundation was established and has since played a substantial role in the successful development of the Foundation. John was recognised for his contribution to IT by his being awarded with an Order for Australia award. Since joining the ACS in the 1970s, John has served in varying capacities, initially as an Executive Committee Member of the NSW Branch, then serving as NSW Branch Chair, National Vice-President prior to his election as President for 2000-1 and more recently as National Marketing Director.

Andrew Crawford

Member

Andrew Crawford is an experienced executive with broad expertise across governance, strategy, operations, risk, compliance, finance, information technology and commercial management. He has worked across both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, including primary and integrated health, emergency health services, banking, wealth management and insurance.

His experience also includes postgraduate teaching, professional training, consulting, mergers and acquisitions, organisational integration, shared services and risk management. Andrew brings strong governance and commercial insight to his role on the SAHE Governing Council.

Mana Khatri - Chief Executive Officer at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

Mana Khatri

Member

With over two decades of expertise in the international education sector, Mana has excelled in diverse areas such as establishing businesses, ensuring compliance, driving profitability and sustainability, overseeing marketing and advertising efforts, and demonstrating adeptness in administrative management, systemization, and technological innovation. His commitment to elevated service standards, product development, talent acquisition, and effective team cultivation is evident. With a robust background in student recruitment, service delivery, and career guidance, coupled with his extensive CEO experience in managing institutions, Mana brings invaluable insights to his current role. Backed by legal, Risk & Insurance, Business Administration, and Technology acumen, and more than 20 years of leadership and management experience, his visionary and strategic approach adds significant value to the Southern Academy of Higher Education's team.

Academic Board

Li Hwan Watt - Chief Operating Officer at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

Professor
Philip SeltsikAs

Chair, Academic Board

Professor Philip Seltsikas is an internationally recognized tertiary education professional with 30 years of extensive leadership experience across higher education. He holds a PhD in Information Systems and Business Process Management from Aston University (UK), where he also earned an MSc (Research) in Business Management and a BSc (Hons.) in Managerial and Administrative Studies. His career includes academic and executive roles, such as Associate Dean and Head of Department at the University of Sydney, and Pro Vice-Chancellor Student Engagement and Success at Charles Darwin University. At the University of Nottingham’s China campus he was VP Education and Student Experience. Professor Seltsikas has a track record of attracting significant funding in competitive research funds and has led numerous multi-national research projects, including those funded by the Australian Research Council and the European Commission. He has also published extensively in the field of information systems.

Professor Yvette Blount – Executive Dean and Academic Board Member at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

Professor
Yvette Blount

Dean

Professor Yvette Blount has over 20 years of experience in public universities and institutes of higher education. As evidence of effective and inclusive practice in learning and teaching, and a sustained record of leading and supporting high-quality learning in higher education, she was awarded the Senior Fellowship of AdvanceHE (SFHEA) in 2018. She holds a PhD in Information Systems, an MBA (Professional Accounting), and a Bachelor of Business (Management Information Systems).

Before her current role, Yvette was the Business Dean at VIT, where she was responsible for overseeing the MBA and business courses for both domestic and international students. Prior to that, she was Dean and Associate Professor at Skyline Higher Education Australia, where she led all academic operations, including the successful TEQSA accreditation of the Bachelor of IT and Master of IT courses. Earlier in her career, she was an Associate Professor at Macquarie University Business School, where she held various leadership positions, including faculty board member and course director. She was also involved in the accreditation of the Business School with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and with the accounting professional bodies CPA and CAANZ.

Yvette is currently an Honorary Associate Professor at the Deakin Business School, Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University. In this role, she has built productive teaching, entrepreneurial, and scholarly relationships and has identified and secured strategic opportunities for scholarship, including publications. At Deakin University, she supports research in several cutting-edge fields, including teleworking (also known as Anywhere Working), supply chain management, telehealth, cybersecurity (with a focus on governance, management, and ethics), blockchain, and other emerging technologies. These areas are reshaping how we work, learn, and live, with teleworking offering organisations a sustainable competitive advantage by increasing service quality and enabling flexibility, especially in the evolving post-COVID-19 landscape.

Before transitioning to academia, Yvette held senior and consulting positions in the banking and IT sectors. Her combined industry and academic expertise informs her teaching philosophy, which centres on creating an engaging learning environment that allows students to connect with coursework in ways that align with their individual learning styles.

Christine
Bishop

Member

Christine Bishop is a senior technology and business leader with more than 20 years of experience across global organisations including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM and Telstra. Her expertise spans executive leadership, go-to-market strategy, business development, strategic partnerships, cloud, data, artificial intelligence and digital transformation.

She has led regional and global growth initiatives, developed partner ecosystems and built high-performing teams across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region. Christine also brings extensive experience in corporate governance, business operations, customer success, marketing and commercial strategy.

Beyond her executive career, Christine has served as a Non-Executive Board Member, mentored technology founders through CSIRO’s ON Prime program, and worked as a business coach and sessional lecturer with the University of Sydney Business School. She brings valuable technology, innovation and strategic growth expertise to the SAHE Governing Council.

Professor
Lee Di Milia

Member

Professor Lee Di Milia is an experienced work psychologist and academic whose research focuses on workplace behaviour and the relationship between individuals and their working environments. His areas of expertise include organisational behaviour, human resource management, workplace learning, employee wellbeing and organisational performance.

His research has examined individual differences in adjustment to shift work, driver sleepiness, work–life conflict and employee thriving. He has also contributed to research exploring how learning and development can support stronger organisational outcomes.

Before entering academia, Professor Di Milia worked in the private sector across industries including heavy manufacturing and finance. He brings valuable expertise in workplace psychology, organisational performance and human behaviour to the SAHE Academic Board.

Dr Robin Huang - Program Director Information Technology at SAHE Sydney

Dr Robin Huang

Member

Dr. Robin Huang is a highly experience academic researcher with a strong teaching and publication track record, and over a decade of experience in both industry and academia. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Sydney and have previously taught at world class universities such as the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney before coming to SAHE.

Dr Ross McClure SAHE Academic Board Member and Program Director Accounting and Hospitality

Dr Ross Mcclure

Member

Dr. Ross McClure is a highly accomplished individual with a diverse background in management, finance, and academia. He holds a PhD in Accounting from the University of Technology Sydney, where his research focused on corporate tax avoidance, and has won several awards for excellence in accounting research. Ross has extensive experience teaching and coordinating a range of business subjects at multiple universities. Prior to his academic career, he held managerial and finance positions in various organisations, including Opera Australia and Centrelink. Ross is a dedicated and results-oriented individual with a passion for education and research.

Executive Staff

Mana Khatri - Chief Executive Officer at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

Mana Khatri

Chief Executive Officer

Professor Yvette Blount – Executive Dean and Academic Board Member at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

Professor
Yvette Blount

Dean

Sunita Katwal - Chief Financial Officer at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

Sunita Katwal

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Stefan Hofmann Chief Marketing Officer SAHE Southern Academy of Higher Education

Stefan hofmann

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

Ben Lee – Registrar at Southern Academy of Higher Education SAHE Sydney

Ben Lee

Registrar

Dr Ross McClure SAHE Academic Board Member and Program Director Accounting and Hospitality

Dr Ross Mcclure

Program Director - Accounting & Hospitality

Dr Robin Huang - Program Director Information Technology at SAHE Sydney

Dr Robin Huang

Program Director – Information Technology