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Academic Team

A solid higher education background along with extensive hospitality experience
Jack Iveson's Story as Head of Academic Operations in The Hotel School Sydney
A solid higher education background along with extensive hospitality experience
Academic Team

Brisbane Staff

Mathew Little
Head of Campus - Brisbane
Mat’s expertise is the product of a lifetime in the hospitality industry combined with extensive experience in the Higher Education sector. Prior to joining The Hotel School to lead the Brisbane campus, Mat was a Lecturer in Business and Tourism at Southern Cross University. At SCU, Mat designed, coordinated, and delivered courses in Hospitality, International Tourism and Management. Mat also collaborated with Le Cordon Bleu to deliver the Master of Gastronomic Tourism. A firm believer in applying critical theory with ‘real world’ use, Mat implements practice-based coursework—tours of regional tourism/hospitality venues, internships, and networking—to connect students with industry leaders to achieve tangible results. Mat’s favourite thing about his role at The Hotel School is the close relationships fostered between staff and students and is excited to launch their international careers in Hotel Management from beautiful South-East Queensland.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master of Business Administration, Bond
  • Master of Project Management, Bond
Allison Knight
Lecturer and Tutor, Brisbane
Dedicated online and face to face lecturer with twenty years' experience in teaching undergraduate students’ hospitality, tourism, human resource management and business-related subjects in Sydney, Brisbane, Australia and Birmingham, UK. Offer a proven track record of commended performance teaching, with a passion for education and the service industry. I have developed subject outlines and course material. Assisted the implementation of courses to facilitate positive and collaborative relationships between students, teachers and stakeholders across the community to drive program implementation that is tailored to meet site specific, cultural and student needs.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Masters Social Science, Leisure and Tourism
  • Grad. Cert Education/Higher Education Administration
Juliet Tan
Lecturer
25 years in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry, last 17 years or so Director of Sales of ACCOR, Marriott and ACCOR Groups, Warner Village Theme Parks. Teaching experience spans over a similar period of time.

QUALIFICATIONS
Matthew Brenner
Lecturer
I have worked in Australia, Canada and the United State of America. I have held industry positions in hotels, resorts, restaurants, and private clubs. The Fairmont Royal York, Canada The Granite Club, Canada Beacon Hall Golf Club, Canada

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Ph.D. in Business, 2019, The University of Queensland, School of Business, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
  • Master of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, 2006, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
  • Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, 1994, Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH, USA
  • Associate in Occupational Studies of Culinary Arts, 1998, New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier, VT, USA
Suman Sen
Lecturer
Customer service in hospitality businesses; research for academic institutions, government bodies and not-for-profit organisations; teaching various under- and post-grad units, both in and outside Australia.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Doctor of Business Administration
  • Master of Business Administration
  • Master of Economics
  • Bachelor of Economics

Hayman Island Staff

Jorn Wisselink
Campus Operations Manager, Hayman Island
Jorn is a Dutch national and graduate of Hotelschool The Hague in The Netherlands, Jorn joins The Hotel School with over 20 years of experience in international hospitality management and education. Jorn worked in Europe and APAC for both traditional hotel management companies and start-ups in operations & development, as well as an independent consultant focussed on concept development and experience engineering. As an educator, he taught Strategic Management at Saxion Hospitality Business School in The Netherlands and was Group General Manager Stenden Hotel Management School in The Netherlands, looking after the commercial teaching hotels and restaurants at Stenden campuses in The Netherlands, Bali, Bangkok, South Africa and Qatar. Jorn delivers the Associate Degree of International Hotel and Tourism Management on Hayman Island.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor of Hotel Administration, Hotel Management, Hotelschool The Hague

Melbourne Staff

Danish Khan
Lecturer
Lecturer since 2006. Taught more than 54 unique units across undergrad, grad and phd across 11 universities. Industry consultant in business transformations with Big 4 consulting firm in Australia. Active author of multiple units in Hotel School new graduate programs, unit assessor and digital education delivery designer.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Ph.D (Pending Thesis Review & Approval), USQ, Australia
  • MBA Strategy & Project Management
  • BBA Management Info System
  • AAS Technology Engineering
Gareth Eldridge
Academic Support and Lecturer
Gareth has over twenty five years' experience in teaching English and providing academic support to speakers of other languages. Moreover, he has experience in teaching Academic English, Business English and a variety of exam preparation classes. He is also a Cambridge speaking examiner. Additionally, he has worked in academic management as Director of Studies both in Eastern Europe and London, and is a registered Trinity College teacher trainer and Cambridge CELTA trainer. Gareth spent 15 years working for The University of the Arts London, which includes The London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martin’s school of art and design, providing In-sessional and Pre-sessional support to international students. In addition, He has also provided language support to asylum seekers and refugees within the ESOL sector. Gareth has been with The Hotel School Melbourne since September 2018 and enjoys helping students with their assignments and making the most of their university studies.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching from Kings College London
Janne Palthe
Lecturer
With a career spanning over 25 years Janne has worked in senior management positions in Australia, Asia and the UK with experience in the education, hospitality, sporting, fashion, textile and environmental industries. Positions held include that of Marketing Manager for adidas, Director of Marketing and Sales (Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Como and Jakarta’s Hotel Mulia Senayan), General Manager of FasTracKids (Indonesia) and working for Westpac Properties and the now PWC in hospitality receiverships. Janne has served on not for profit boards including four years as Chair of The Cancer Foundation, is currently undertaking a PhD and maintains her consultancy business.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor of Commerce (University of Melbourne)
  • Master of Business Administration (Victoria University)
  • Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching - Higher Education (Swinburne University)
  • Certified Practicing Marketer (Australian Marketing Institute)
Jasmine Pham
Lecturer and Tutor
Dr. Jasmine Pham acquired her PhD degree from La Trobe University in 2018. Her research, which was funded by Australian government under the Australian Awards Scholarship, examined disaster risk management behaviour in the context of climate change. Prior to joining The Hotel School Melbourne, Jasmine has had 15+ year combined experience in higher education and HR management across various institutions, both in Australia and overseas. Jasmine loves teaching subjects with numbers, from economics to statistics, finance, and accounting. She is keen on investing in the Australian property and stock markets, and has started her journey there a few years ago.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • PhD degree from La Trobe University
Marianne Saulwick
Lecturer
Operational experience owning two restaurants and an events company. Restaurant reviewer in Australia and the Middle East. Past sky diver Leads food and wine tours

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master of Education
Gregor Blair-Smith
Lecturer and Tutor Melbourne
Gregor’s educational background began in biochemistry. He left this vocation to join the family business in construction and worked on industrial and high rise projects for many years as a project manager before turning to Hotel Management. After 20 years in hotels as a Hotel General Manager, he turned to teaching in vocational hospitality and tourism, and then higher education for the past 11 years. He currently teaches hospitality and tourism operational subjects for The Hotel School Melbourne and management subjects for the RMIT College of Business.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master of Business Administration, University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry)

Online Staff

Clare du Plessis
Lecture
I have 12 years of hospitality experience - an industry that I have a huge amount of passion for. I have been able to harness this love, by teaching and educating others about it. I have been lecturing hospitality for the past 8 years, my main main focus subjects are Hotel Revenue Management, Hospitality Finances and Hotel Openings.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master of Business Administration
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Education
  • Bachelor of Commerce in Hospitality
Maxine Hawker
Lecturer
I have many years experience working in restaurants including experience silver service, 5-star hotels, upmarket guesthouses and bed and breakfasts. After moving to Byron Bay, I launched a bed and breakfast/guesthouse locum that operated for 4 years, managing 10 properties when needed which could be 1 night up to 3 months. I then went on to chef for two years at a resort/retreat. In the meantime, I was invited to join the executive committee of Byron Shire Tourism. Over the next three years, we established a self-funding, business model to operate Byron Visitor Centre. In my role of Volunteer Coordinator, I recruited, trained, rostered and managed 90 volunteers. I had started teaching at Southern Cross University School of Tourism. I also accepted a contract from Byron Town Centre Committee for the position of Byron Bay Main Street Coordinator. I organised a large community consultation and then wrote the Byron Bay Town Centre Strategic Plan. Relocating to Sydney, I worked as a Professional Conference Organiser for a year and then accepted a role in sales for the Hydro Majestic Hotel. I continued to tutor at University of Technology, Sydney in their tourism program and was then offered teaching at The Hotel School Sydney. After teaching for six years, I took on the newly created position of Marketing Manager, travelling 18 weeks per year promoting the School. I left THS to start my own gelato/coffee shop in Coogee. In this time I was elected President, Coogee Chamber of Commerce and launched the inaugural Taste of Coogee. After four years of being a sole trader, I relocated back to Byron Bay and continued to lecture for the Southern Cross University, School of Tourism. In 2020, I moved to Melbourne for a year for family reasons and was offered work at The Hotel School Melbourne. I continue to teach online.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor of Business in Tourism and Hospitality Management
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning

Sydney Staff

Paul Weeks
Head Sydney Campus, Head Academic Programs
Paul joined SCU School of Business and Tourism in 1991 after 20 years managerial experience in hotel, motel and food service organisations, moving to The Hotel School Sydney (THSS) in 2000, and returning to SCU after 15 years in Sydney. His previous and current experience includes instructional design for subjects offered through the School’s distance education programs, development of curricula across a range of discipline areas, lecturing in management, services management and information technology. Paul has co-authored two Australian ‘hospitality’ industry texts: Club Management, and Managing Convention Businesses. Research interests include teaching and learning, IT in hospitality; history of hotels; convention services, and club management. Received an inaugural Vice Chancellor’s award for Teaching Excellence, and two subsequent VC’s Teaching Awards as a member of two teaching teams. With a colleague from SCU, Paul won a 2017 SCU Engagement Award for Engaged Learning. Paul is a member of the Emeritus Faculty at Southern Cross University.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • PhD candidate (SCU)
  • Master of Education (SCU)
  • Graduate Diploma in Education (Training and Development) (UNE-NR)
  • Higher National Diploma in Hotel and Catering Administration (Oxford Polytechnic)
  • Graduate of the Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management Association (UK)
Cary Budd
Lecturer
Cary's career starting in the Advertising industry (agency side) making strategic recommendations then jumping into the client side to make the decisions. He spent seven years in Interpreneurial roles in a government agency before being seconded to the OCA to head up a project (the GamesInfo website) for the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games. It became the NSW Government site with the highest hits in history. This career foundation provided insights into the difference between small entrepreneurial start-ups, private companies and public organisations. He then supported a number of NSW Government Agencies with their online strategies before an ongoing mix of project management, CRM roles, marketing consulting and education consulting as he continued his training delivery roles. Cary has been a teacher/trainer/lecturer since 2003. Involved in VET and HE program management and faculty management roles. Cary still consults to industry. Cary is passionate about guiding students through the process of changing the way you think, how organisations tick, and by sharing his stories and other examples of why 'it is all about being well informed and making good decisions'.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master of Business in Marketing (UTS)
Francis Cochrane
Lecturer
25 years in the hotel business - from dishwasher to GM (Holiday Inn, Renaissance, Marriott); 15 years in health care - St. Vincents and Cabrini Health Care

QUALIFICATIONS

  • BS Hotel Administration
  • MBA
  • Certified Hotel Manager (IHG)
Kerrie King
Lecturer | Unit Assessor | Sydney Program Coordinator
A passionate educator and lifelong learner Kerrie has been teaching for 20+ years and in the online space over the past 10 years. She has worked on numerous projects developing and reviewing the course content. Kerrie has a background in tourism, retail, corporate travel, sales, training, development and tourism IT. Research interests include - tourism industry innovation and government policy.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Doctor of Business Administration (Candidate), University of Southern Queensland
  • Master of Higher Education (e-learning), Macquarie University Sydney
  • Graduate Diploma in Literacy and Numeracy Education, University of Technology Sydney
  • Bachelor of Business, University of Newcastle
Mo Kader
Lecturer
Dr Mo Kader is a business and commerce professional with over 20 years’ experience in medium and large businesses in Australia and globally. He has worked in private enterprise, research and higher education. He has also established several businesses since 1998. Mo is a visiting Associate Professor of Management and a Senior Lecturer in several universities and higher education providers in Sydney.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • PhD, MBA, MSc, BSc, GD, GC
Ronnie Nadri
Lecturer
I’m a technology professional with 30 years of experience in the Israeli and Australian markets. I have successfully operated my own web services company, WEBABLE, for over a decade. My expertise includes Digital Marketing, technology consulting, and AI in the retail market. I have been lecturing on these topics for the past 5 years.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master of Management and Organisation
Sandra Clark
Lecturer
Starting in Food and Beverage I was drawn to the kitchen after a working holiday in England. Returning to Australia, I worked as a chef in many top restaurants before moving into catering. After managing the in- house catering at one of Sydney's most prestigious law firms, I opened my own cafe in Surry Hills then started my own catering and events company.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Masters of Food Studies, University of Adelaide
Sarah Johnston
Lecturer
Have worked in cafes & restaurants for over twenty years. Have owned/operated a cafe & a catering business. Have taught/lectured in the subjects of Law, Human resources & Industrial Relations in many tertiary institutions for over fifteen years.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor of Art
  • Bachelor of Laws
  • Masters of Education
  • Advanced Diploma Hospitality Management
The Yen Cao
Lecturer
The Yen Cao joined The Hotel School Sydney as a student in 2015, studying her Bachelor of Business in Hotel Management and proceeded to pursue her Master of International Tourism and Hotel Management shortly after in 2018. She graduated with her Masters at The Hotel School Sydney in 2019 with a High Distinction and was awarded The Barry Poole Memorial Prize for being the graduating student with the highest post-graduate grade point average across Tourism, Hotel and Hospitality Courses within the School of Business and Tourism. During her studies, she had hands-on experience within the Hotel Industry, specifically Front Desk. Furthermore, prior to her position as a tutor, she volunteered in the Peer Assisted Learning Program offered by The Hotel School Sydney which provided students assistance in improving their studying techniques. Her passion to pursue an academic career at The Hotel School Sydney stemmed from the tremendous help and support of the teachers at this school during her studies. Her goals as a tutor are to inspire and motivate others as teaching is more than providing studying content but providing support in a way that changes the student’s perspective about their careers and their lifestyle.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor of Business in Hotel Management
  • Master of International Tourism and Hotel Management
Veronica Espin
Lecturer
My academic background is in Linguistics, Education and Translation and I am passionate about teaching English as a second language. I have also worked in Business and Marketing for over 10 years and provided extensive professional training to multicultural teams.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Philology
  • MA in Advanced Language Studies (English/Spanish)
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
  • Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA)
Julie Luiker
Lecturer | Unit Assessor
Joining The Hotel School in 1990, Julie remains one of the longest serving team members. Julie focuses on communication and tourism across the bachelor program.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master of Arts, Organisational Communication
  • Bachelor of Education, Adult Education

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