Vice Chancellor and President of Griffith University
Chair of Universities Australia

Professor Carolyn Evans is Vice Chancellor and President of Griffith University, a role she has held since the start of 2019. In late 2026, she will commence as the Vice Chancellor of Melbourne University.

Carolyn graduated with degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Melbourne and earned her doctorate from Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. She has taught law at Oxford and Melbourne Universities. Before joining Griffith University, Carolyn served as Dean of Law and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Graduate and International) and Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne. She received a Fulbright Senior Scholarship in 2010 and 2019, Carolyn was elected a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Carolyn is the Chair of Universities Australia and has held various leadership roles, including Queensland Chair and national board member of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia from 2023-2025, President of the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association from 2022-2024, Chair of the Innovative Research Universities from 2021-2022 and board member of Open Universities Australia from 2019-2023. Currently, she is a board member of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission and a member of Chief Executive Women.

Principal of Claire Field and Associates

Claire is the Principal of Claire Field and Associates, an independent consulting practice offering advice across higher education, VET, international education, and GenAI/EdTech. 

She is also a co-founder of EvaluAIte – a new AI assurance agency helping universities, TAFEs and other tertiary education providers manage the risks and opportunities of AI. She has recently completed work for ASEAN on business engagement models for upskilling and reskilling the workforce, and she is undertaking a PhD at Torrens University Australia writing the history of the university’s first decade.

Claire previously held senior positions in education agencies in the NSW and Australian governments, as well as in the public, private and non-profit tertiary education sector.

CEO of VTAC

Teresa Tjia is a senior leader in tertiary education, with a deep commitment to student participation, engagement and success in tertiary education, no matter their background. 

Teresa has experience in service and organisational transformations, leading initiatives with impact and influencing with data and insights. 

Currently, Teresa is the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). 

Teresa contributes more broadly as a member of sector and government committees and working groups and is a Board Director of community organisations. 

Sr Director of Engineering at Instructure

A technology evangelist with 25 years of experience, Takis Diakoumis has built and led high-performing technical teams across diverse sectors, from finance and government to healthcare and higher education. Notably, he spearheaded the initiative for Australia’s first open MOOC platform.

Takis thrives on building innovative and disruptive solutions that deliver exceptional user experiences. With a passion for emerging technologies like self-sovereign identity, he excels at translating complex concepts into compelling narratives. Driven by intuition and an authentic desire to drive innovation, Takis is dedicated to making significant contributions to the global digital credentialing ecosystem with Instructure.

Founder of Lifelong Learning Practice

Wendy Palmer is Founder of Lifelong Learning Practice and a recognised leader in microcredentials, digital credentials and lifelong learning strategy. She works at the intersection of education and work, helping institutions redesign recognition so learning is visible, portable and trusted.

With more than 30 years’ experience across higher education and industry, Wendy advises universities, governments and professional bodies on credential visibility, digital evidence and learner agency in a skills-focused economy.

She is a regular speaker at international credential and EdTech forums and is known for connecting policy, platform and practice into practical, system-level change.

Founder and Principal Consultant, George Angus Consulting

Stuart Martin is the Founder of George Angus Consulting, a global educational consultancy based in New Zealand, specialising in research, credentialing strategy, and inclusive education policy. Stuart helps education providers, global bodies, and industry associations turn skills into credentials that employers trust and learners value.

His recent work includes evaluating the capacity of AI to generate high-standard assessments and developing an associated ethical framework (ConCOVE), as well as designing a Dynamic Modular Learning system to support lifelong learning (Food & Fibre CoVE). Additionally, Stuart has led a global study on the value of micro and digital credentials in the gig economy (GIZ) and advanced strategies to better support and appreciate neurodiversity in education and the workplace (ConCOVE & Food & Fibre CoVE).

Stuart holds a Master of Arts from Victoria University of Wellington.

Microcredentials Manager at Solving Plastic Waste CRC

Deb Friel brings extensive experience in academic and business development, particularly in designing microcredentials that help industry workers upskill and support organisational growth. Her expertise lies in co-creating courseware to enhance human capabilities and make skills more visible, ensuring alignment with professional and industry standards.

Currently, Deb serves as the Microcredential Manager for Solving Plastic Waste CRC, where she leads the creation of microcredentials and training pathways for PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, industry professionals, and the general public. This initiative is a core Commonwealth deliverable, developed in collaboration with research leaders, industry, and university partners over a 10-year period (2024–2034).

Previously, Deb spent twelve years as Manager for the Centre for Professional Development at CQUniversity, overseeing the microcredential and digital badge program and implementing a co-design model alongside industry and professional bodies. A passionate advocate for sustainability, Deb is also an alumnus of the Climate Reality Leadership Corp Training.

Director, Student Administration Services at Flinders University

Kim Murphy is the Director, Student Administration Services at Flinders University, within the Student Experience and Management portfolio. In this role, she provides strategic leadership across core student administration functions, including international and domestic admissions, enrolments, student finance and scholarships, timetabling, compliance, and major student administration lifecycle activities, including conferrals and graduations.

Kim is known for her student‑centred, inclusive approach to service design and her commitment to continuous improvement, innovation, and staff wellbeing. She has extensive experience leading large, multidisciplinary teams through complex change, including major system implementations, governance reforms, and service delivery transformation within the higher education sector.

Manager of Exams, Achievement and Graduations at Flinders University

Shanelle is the Manager of Exams, Achievement and Graduations at Flinders University, with more than eight years of experience across student services and student administration. She is dedicated to building positive workplace culture and leading high‑performing teams, most recently demonstrated through her team receiving the Dream Team Award for Flinders University. She is passionate about advancing women in leadership and building spaces where students feel supported and empowered.

Director Student Mobility and My eQuals at HES

Anthony has over 25 years’ experience in the tertiary education and allied software sectors, spanning a broad range of roles in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.  He has first-hand experience of meeting the challenges and maximising the opportunities facing universities across student administration and student services, in particular relating to admissions and credit management, locally and globally. 

Anthony also has a long history with My eQuals, most notably his leadership of the Digital Student Data (DSD) task force back in 2015/16, which has since evolved to what is now My eQuals. 

Anthony brings an important customer perspective to the My eQuals team through his former role as Associate Director Admissions, Fees, Scholarships and Accommodation at The University of Melbourne and his most recent role as Dean of Students and Registrar at Federation University Australia. 

Anthony is also the Board Secretary of the Groningen Declaration Network (GDN).