Ms. Mudie is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently the founding Executive Director of the Diplomatic Academy.
She has previously served overseas as Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives; Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations (Geneva); First Secretary, UN Permanent Mission, New York; and Second Secretary, Hanoi. In Canberra, Ms.Mudie has served as Assistant Secretary, Public Diplomacy Branch; Assistant Secretary, Information Resources Branch; and Director, Strategic Policy Section.
Ms. Mudie holds a Master of Southeast Asian Studies from the University of Hull; Bachelor of Arts (Honours), from the University of Adelaide; and a Graduate Diploma (Foreign Affairs and Trade) from the Australian National University.
Jen Bahen is the Counsellor-designate (Education and Science) to the Australian Embassy, Hanoi, Vietnam, with responsibility to Vietnam and Thailand. Prior to commencing this role, Jen was the Director for International Education at TAFE Directors Australia and brings with her a detailed knowledge of Australia’s tertiary education system, particularly vocational education and training. In this role, Jen was responsible for supporting Australian TAFEs to further their international engagement and facilitated a number of agreements and programs that supported TAFEs to expand globally. Jen also led Australia’s engagement with the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics, providing invaluable experience into global skilling systems.
Jen has previously worked in a number of positions within the Australian Government, leading policy and program initiatives spanning schools, vocational education and youth engagement. Jen was posted with the Department of Education, Skills and Employment to the Australian Embassies in Beijing and Bangkok, managing the broad bilateral relationship between China and Australia and Thailand and Australia. Jen has also worked in the education sector privately supporting both school and university engagement in China. Jen has lived in Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok, and is passionate about enabling global engagement and exchange in education.
Jen completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) at the University of Melbourne.
Associate Professor Hoang Minh Son was appointed Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education and Training in 2020. He is responsible for higher education, teacher training development, and technology applications.
Before his current post, Associate Professor Hoang Minh Son was Chair of the University Council and President of Hanoi University of Science and Technology. He has been recognised as a transformative education leader for the university. He is also a regular consultant for the Vietnamese Government and the Ministry of Education and Training in the area of higher education reforms such as autonomy, leadership and governance, and quality assurance.
He has also contributed his expertise to developing an innovative university model towards the industrial revolution 4.0 in Viet Nam.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy is currently Director General, Higher Education Department, Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training.
The Department of Higher Education has the function of assisting the Minister of Education and Training in performing the state management of higher education and teacher training.
Dr. Thuy has had a long and distinguished academic career and is the former Vice President at the Foreign Trade University, Vietnam.
Dr. Thuy received her PhD in Finance from Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University, Netherlands), M.Sc. of Finance from Tilburg University (Netherlands), M.A. of Development Economics from Institute of Social Studies (Netherlands) and National Economics University (Vietnam), and B.A. of international economics from Foreign Trade University. Assoc.
Prof. Thuy’s professional activities focus on developing policies on higher education and teacher training; economic and financial. She is an active consultant in capacity-building projects for staff and lecturers at the Ministry of Education and Training (BCEP, TBS2, HEP2).
In scientific research, she has many publications at home and abroad, as well as published books related to the fields of economics, finance and higher education.
Dr. Ly Hoang Tung graduated with a Ph.D. in Automation, majoring in Post-Harvest Technology at Gifu University, Japan.
His interests lie in the management of Mechanical and Automation fields, the field of research and development of space technology and the field of high technology.
His prime responsibility is to formulate the National Strategy for the research, development and application of Artificial Intelligence in 2030.
Mr Nguyen Son Hai, General Director, Information and Communication Technology Department at the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. He has over 20 years of experience in information technology in education and training.
Mr Hai has contributed significantly in promoting the application of digital technology in industry activities and educational management in the form of digital government. Mr Hai has also contributed to teaching and learning activities, testing, and evaluating the application of digital technology, creating equal opportunities to access educational content.
Mr Nguyen Son Hai is the General Director, Information and Communication Technology Department at the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. He has over 20 years of experience in information technology in education and training.
Mr Hai has contributed significantly in promoting the application of digital technology in industry activities and educational management in the form of digital government. Mr Hai has also contributed to teaching and learning activities, testing, and evaluating the application of digital technology, creating equal opportunities to access educational content.
Rebecca Hall brings more than 20 years of experience in global engagement, industry policy and strategy to the role as Commissioner to Victoria. Most recently Ms. Hall formed part of the Austrade senior leadership team as Head of the International Education Centre of Excellence, working across Austrade’s global network to promote and support Australia’s international education sector.
She has previously worked in the Victorian and Queensland state governments and held senior roles in the not-for-profit and education sectors as well as industry bodies such as the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), Australian Institute of International Affairs and AFS Intercultural Programs Australia.
Victoria has the largest network of trade and investment offices among the Australian states with 22 offices established around the world. These include three in Southeast Asia alone, in Jakarta, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur with another to be opened soon, in Ho Chi Minh city.
Ms Fiona Letos is the Director, International Education and Study Melbourne, in Global Victoria. Global Victoria is the Victorian Government’s trade agency. It supports international education businesses and providers to diversify global markets and products, and maintains Victoria’s position as a destination of choice for students, including through innovative student initiates, sector supports, and the Study Melbourne Brand.
Ms Letos oversees a Global Education Network of education specialists and Study Melbourne Hubs across key international markets.Her previous executive positions include overseeing the Victorian Government’s Trade and Investment Offices overseas, and strategic global engagement functions.
Dionne joined RMIT as the University’s Chief Operating Officer in 2016, responsible for University operations and the delivery of corporate services that aim to continuously improve student and staff experiences at RMIT and ensure sufficient capability to deliver efficient and effective services. Dionne has also led RMIT’s critical incident management processes and efforts, including the University’s response to COVID-19.
Prior to this, Dionne was based in Hong Kong as COO for Pearson’s International Operations, with a particular focus on China, India, Brazil and South Africa. There she led Pearson’s operations teams in delivering scalable and repeatable solutions for customers and employees in the areas of Customer Support, Real Estate, Procurement, Supply Chain, and Programme Management. A Chartered Practicing Accountant, Dionne spent her early years in public practice and consulting before joining Pearson.
Douglas Proctor joined Swinburne University of Technology as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) in August 2021. He provides leadership across the university on global engagement and the development and deployment of Swinburne’s global strategy in teaching, research and outreach. A Senior Fellow of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), Douglas holds a PhD in international higher education from the University of Melbourne. He is currently Chair of the European Association for International Education (EAIE) Publications Committee and has edited recent EAIE Forum magazines on the topics of Brexit, digitalization, and resilience in uncertain times
David leads EduGrowth, Australia’s education technology and innovation industry hub. Through connection and collaboration, EduGrowth is accelerating Australia’s EdTech ecosystem globally. David has decades of experience across the education sector having led Asia Pacific operations of global listed EdTech companies and, founding and exiting EdTech businesses. Today, he is a strategic advocate, supporter and champion of the Australian EdTech sector at home and abroad.
Key Career Highlights
Associate Professor Chie Adachi currently works as Director, Digital Learning at Deakin University. She leads a number of digital learning innovation projects at Deakin and is passionate about and researches how digital pedagogy, educational technology and interculturalism innovate teaching and learning.
Assoc Prof Adachi’s MOOC, Transforming Digital Learning: Learning design meets service design was named as ‘Best Online Courses of All Time 2020 edition’ and provided a large-scale PD for those teachers and professionals pivoting to teaching online globally. She is also a co-founder of TELedvisors, Special Interest Group under ASCILITE.
Professor Sherman Young leads the Education Portfolio which includes the Students Group, RMIT Library, Academic Registrar’s Group, the Centre for Educational Innovation and Development and the Centre for Academic Quality and Enhancement. Sherman was formerly Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Executive Director of RMIT Studios where he was responsible for leading learning and teaching strategy, practice and innovation across the university, including RMIT’s educational response to COVID-19.
Prior to joining RMIT, Sherman was the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching) and a Professor in the Department of Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies at Macquarie University. He has held academic leadership roles in the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie where he undertook teaching and research in the field of new media theory and production.
Sherman is the author of The Book is Dead, Long Live the Book (UNSW Press, 2007), co-author of Media Convergence (Palgrave, 2012) and Beyond 2.0 – the Future of Music (Equinox, 2014) – all of which analyse the impact of new media technologies. He has published, presented, supervised and peer-reviewed in both Media Studies and Education disciplines.
Sherman has a Bachelor of Science in Design (UNSW), a Masters in Media, Technology and Law (Macquarie) and a doctorate in Media and Cultural Studies (UQ). Prior to becoming an academic, Sherman ran a multimedia production company building interactive media for a range of corporate and publishing clients
Luke Sheehy is the Executive Director of the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN).
Luke has previously been a senior policy adviser to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Shadow Minister for Education and Training.
He has also held a number of executive roles in the tertiary education and business community, including Education Innovation and Strategy Consultant, Asian Development Bank; Member Board of Directors, National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA); Director Collaboration & Partnerships and Advisor Government Relations, Swinburne University. He is currently a board member for Palliative Care ACT.
Raised and educated in London, Professor Rick Bennett completed his undergraduate studies in the Fine Arts before moving into the UK film and television industry for seven years, specialising in TV commercials and music video production.
After emigrating to Australia in 1990, Professor Bennett was based in the School of Design Studies at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) for 24 years, before leading a new online education department. Within this department, Professor Bennett managed the curriculum design and oversaw the teaching of more than 40 fully-online courses in art and design, which ultimately led to the production of the first fully-online Master's program at UNSW.
Professor Bennett’s research over the last two decades has explored advances in digital technology and the interdependence between design professions, design education and the potential for online offerings. This research has resulted in numerous invitations to discussions worldwide, significant research grants and publications, as well as prestigious awards. Notably, in 2004, he was awarded the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools - Australian Teacher of the Year.
In 2015, Professor Bennett arrived in Vietnam to lead RMIT University's School of Communication & Design which he undertook for 4 years, before progressing to the position of Vice-President (Academic) and later the RMIT Vietnam Executive Dean (Academic & Students).
Peter is responsible for advancing RMIT’s global operations and connectivity, including strategic leadership and responsibility for RMIT Vietnam, RMIT Europe, RMIT Training, Global Experiences and international partnerships.
Peter is also the Pro Vice-Chancellor Science, Engineering and Health. He was Chair of the Board for RMIT Vietnam from 2013–2015 and is an advisor and member of various committee and council of the Australian Federal and Victorian State Government. He is a past-president of the Federation of Asia Pacific Microbiological Societies, and member of the International Union of Microbiology.
Professor Coloe has been at RMIT for more than 34 years, with extensive experience across management, learning and teaching and research.
As a member of RMIT Council from 1999-2008, Professor Coloe contributed to the University’s overall management, strategic and budgetary planning initiatives. He has spent ten years on the Academic Board and RMIT Council, 12 years as Pro Vice-Chancellor (College of Science, Engineering and Health), Head of School (Dean) for seven years, and Head of Department prior to that.
He brings significant experience and expertise from across Vietnam having developed research collaborations with several Vietnamese universities, including Hanoi University of Science & Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science & Technology, Nong Lam University and Vietnam National University. Professor Coloe also served as Chair of RMIT Vietnam’s Board from 2013 – 2015.
His appointment leverages his capacity as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Global for the RMIT Group to create linkages and alignment between the University’s Australian and Vietnam operations.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Global is responsible to deliver academic governance and rigour, strong operational performance and a highly engaged workforce no matter where RMIT operates.
Dr. Nguyen Cao Tri is an educational administrator, founder and the managing director of several businesses in diversified fields, including education, healthcare, sport, real estate, F&B, entertainment and hospitality services. His businesses include Van Lang Education Group and Capella Group Holdings.
Capella Group Holdings Company comprises a broad portfolio of market-leading businesses including
In education, Dr. Nguyen Cao Tri is the Chairman of Van Lang Group and Van Lang University, which have a successful history of education in Vietnam, spanning 26 years.
Dr. Nguyen Cao Tri was born in Da Lat City, Vietnam. He received his Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D at The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, majoring in Business and Management. He is well-known within Ho Chi Minh City’s Business Association for his active contributions to national initiatives in social responsibility, sustainable growth, environmental protection and education. He aims to provide a seamless experience for customers in all his businesses.
Dr Hoang Viet Ha graduated with a Ph.D. in Management from Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM), Sydney, Australia.
He joined Baoviet Insurance Group as Chief Operations Officer (2000-2014) and has worked for FPT Group since 2014 as Chief Operations Officer (2014-2017).
Since 2017, Dr Hoang has been with FPT Education as Vice President (International) and Chief Executive of Swinburne Vietnam. Dr Hoang's research interests lie in management and operations; he also works as an industry mentor for students and executives. He has significant experience from both academia and industry.
Dr. Ngo Minh Hung has more than 25 years of experience in conducting research, practical teaching, and project management in Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand.
He has participated in educational and research institutes, government administration, foreign business firms and non-government organisations (NGOs) in Vietnam. His various projects, papers, and several books have been applied and published widely (nationally and internationally).