GOVERNANCE AND ACCREDITATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Saintilan is a creative industries ‘pracademic’, author, teacher and industry consultant. He possesses a rare combination of senior international experience in entertainment management, educational qualifications including a music degree, MBA and PhD, and experience as a College Dean and educational leader.

Paul’s previous roles include CEO of Music Australia, Dean and Group CEO of Collarts in Melbourne and various senior roles at EMI and Decca in London.

As Head of Arts and Entertainment Management at the Australian Institute of Music, he grew the department and its qualifications and established the Master of Arts Management in Sydney.

In 2018 he co-authored the Routledge textbook Managing Organisations in the Creative Economy: Organisational Behaviour for the Cultural Sector. This has been adopted as a text at key international music industry colleges such as Berklee in Boston and Belmont University in Nashville.

After a 25 year career as a Chief Executive Officer leading a range of middle market Australian and New Zealand businesses, Carolyn is now focussed on a career as a professional Non Executive Company Director.

She has worked in the fields of business, health, private education, transport and advertising.

During her business and management career, Carolyn led and turned around a number of dual sector private education organisations funded and owned by private individuals and/or private equity.

Her board roles have been or currently are in the law, private education, group training, the arts, local government and the bus and e-mobility transport sectors. More specifically as Deputy Chair – Brisbane Powerhouse Pty Ltd (2002 – 2008), Chair – Queensland Orchestra Pty Ltd (2000 – 2008) and as the Director – Flying Arts Inc. (1999 – 2001).

Carolyn has had extensive experience as a board chair in commercial, not for profit and government environments. In addition she has sat on both listed and private boards. Carolyn brings a deep understanding of corporate governance, strategy, risk and compliance and people management to the table.

She is also a nationally accredited mediator.

Chairman and MD, ATMC Education Group

Manish founded ATMC Education Group, which now offers university, vocational, higher education and professional programs in several countries, with over 800 staff and 7,000 students. Focussed on e-learning, business and strategic planning, and business development, Manish has completed executive education programmes at both Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and London Business School. He holds a PhD degree in Computer Science from RMIT University in Melbourne. He has developed the organisation to provide private/public partnerships, localised businesses and community research, technology-based qualifications, and academic development programs including scholarly activities.

Dr Asheley Jones FACS, FAMI, MAICD, has over two decades experience in the education, technology, and professional service sectors. She is a recognised thought leader in the architecture, development and deployment of capability frameworks, built to underpin whole of work micro-credential transformation projects.

The former Chief Operations Officer, and Head of Product for DeakinCo., the commercial arm of Deakin University, Asheley chairs the Accreditation, Education and Employability portfolio for the Australian Council of Professions – the peak professional association body for more than 1,000,000 professionals – offering strategic advice to the Board on micro-credentialing initiatives, and professional accreditation standards. She is currently a registered expert on the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency register – the Federal regulator for Australian Higher Education sector and a former chair of the Accreditation and Education portfolio for the Australian Marketing Institute.

Asheley has extensive experience in building and deploying innovative educational models for collaborative partnerships between industry, academic and professional bodies. In 2014, one of these models earned a Victorian State International Education Innovation award. Asheley has completed research grants from Google, the Australian Council of Deans ICT (ACDICT), the Joint Accounting Bodies (JAB), the Victorian Department of Education and a Work Training Innovation Fund grant in 2018.

Liz Vinning worked in education for over 35 years and held governance roles in education settings for over 20 years. She has a long and deep involvement with the Society of the Sacred Heart. She has held multiple governance roles with this connection including Board Chair at Sacré Cœur School, Melbourne, a Director of Sacred Heart Education Ministry, and recently a Director and Chair-elect at Sophia Education Ministries.

Other governance roles held were in the private education sector in Victoria, and on Advisory Boards at Deakin University.

Liz, in working for the corporate arm of Deakin University, supported major organisations develop and implement award winning employee development frameworks in the banking, defence, insurance, mining, personal injury and retail sectors.

John Ridge has been heavily involved in the IT industry for approximately 50 years, both in Australia and overseas.

In his career he has held a number of senior IT positions in organisations (and industries) such as Morgan Grenfell (banking and finance), Ok Tedi Mining and Bougainville Copper (mining), Lawdan (professional services), and Australian Iron and Steel (manufacturing).  He also established his own IT training and services company in 1986 which he was CEO of for 13 years.

From 1997 – 2005, he was been involved with the Australian Computer Society in a number of capacities.

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is the professional organization for the Information Technology industry in Australia.  It has over 23,000 members and was formed in 1965.  It has a staff of around 50 people and revenue in 2013-2014 of around $14 million. He was the President during 2000 – 2001, and during that time made a number of achievements.

In 2000 it became the first computer society in the world to be admitted to their countries peak professional body when it was only the 3rd organization, since its formation in 1971, to be admitted into the Australian Council of Professions.

During his presidency, the Society achieved very impressive results – 2000 was the most successful year for 28 years with a membership increase of 12%, the highest membership numbers for 28 years and a very positive financial result.  In 2001 the ACS achieved a better financial result than 2000, and membership growth of a further 7%.

He represented the ACS internationally on the South East Asian Computer Confederation (SEARCC), and on both the NSW IT&T ITAB (Information and Telecommunications Industry and Training Advisory Board) and the national IT&T ITAB, established NICTA (National ICT Alliance).

The ACS Foundation was established and launched in August 2001, to raise money for scholarships and research in IT in Australia – John drove that initiative.  It was also established to value add to the relationship between students, as scholarship holders, universities and the sponsors or donors of those scholarships.  Since its establishment, the Foundation has raised over $50 million, and awarded more than 5,000 scholarships.  The quality of the ACS Foundation students is very high and more than 80% achieved a Distinction average or better, and 35% achieved a High Distinction as their lowest grade.

In January 2005 he was appointed as the Executive Director of the ACS Foundation, and since that time the ACS Foundation has continued an impressive growth from its solid base.  His interest in the education and training sectors of the ICT industry has been evident over a sustained period, and finds the opportunity to work with young people and attract them into the ICT industry particularly rewarding.

In January 2007, he was awarded the Order of Australia for his contribution to the ICT industry and education.

In the 2013 – 2014 financial year the ACS Foundation awarded 350 scholarships and raised in excess of $6.8 million.

ACS Foundation WIL scholarships are an effective way for students to gain relevant industry experience and experience in the work place, which is often what employers are looking for in addition to their qualifications.

ACADEMIC BOARD

Brad Haseman has worked as a teacher and researcher for over fifty years pursuing his fascination with the aesthetics, forms and finances of contemporary performance and learning for young people. He completed a distinguished career spanning thirty years with the Creative Industries Faculty at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) where he was Professor in Drama Education.  Before retiring in 2016 Brad held a range of senior leadership posts, at that time as Assistant Dean (Academic); a post responsible for maintaining and managing the learning system for over 4,500 students and 200 staff in the creative arts and cultural industries. He is been a pioneer of arts education, and is known internationally as a teacher and workshop leader (Process Drama), arts researcher (Performative Research) and community engagement practitioner (Applied Theatre and Teaching-Artistry). He holds the title of Professor Emeritus with QUT.

Since January 2018 Brad has been  have been Executive Vice President of Kadenze, Inc. overseeing arts-led pedagogies for their global online catalogue of courses. Kadenze, dealing solely with the Creative Arts, Design and creative technologies, is committed to building high quality online learning, at global scale, and as affordably as possible.

Brad is currently a member of the Leadership Committee of the International Teaching Artist Collaborative and a Council Member of St. Paul’s School, Bald Hills, Brisbane.

Dr. Christiaan (Chris) Willems FHEA FIML FAIEA has a uniquely diverse and extensive career across: the creative industries, tertiary education, corporate communication, and television.

A Fellow of the international Higher Education Academy (FHEA), Chris’s international conference presentations – including: EduTECH Congress, TEQSA Conference, Global Citizenship Education Conference (Hanoi) and the International Social Sciences Conference (Cambridge) – speak to his stature as both a Creative Industries professional and tertiary academic.  This is also evidenced by academic publications; international television broadcast and awards (including International Emmy nomination); and demonstrated innovation in online learning & teaching and executive coaching.

Over the past 22 years Chris has specialised in coaching business leaders and tertiary academics in both non-verbal and on-camera/digital communication.  These specialisations are informed by his extensive professional backgrounds in Mime and Television.

As the inaugural and current Higher Education Director at the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory (APAC), Chris is responsible for reconciling the Academic and Performative aspects of the practice-based Bachelor Degree offered by APAC – across the complementary disciplines of: Acting; Song & Dance; Screen Production.

“Maintaining the balance between and integration of academic rigour and high-level performative outcomes, equips students and graduates to confidently face the challenges of professional performing arts careers”.

Professor Mohini Singh is a consultant with the ATMC Education Group based in Melbourne Australia. She was Pro Vice Chancellor (Research) with the Fiji National University (2018 to 2021). She was a Professor of Information Systems at RMIT University (2007 to 2017). She is recognised for her work in the areas of Digital and Online Business, E-Government, Innovation and Technology Management. The focus of her research has been on the application of Information Technology to real-world problems for innovation and digital business development. Her work is underpinned by social science theories and innovative data collection methods. She has published well over 150 scholarly papers and supervised a large number of PhD projects to completion. She has successfully completed research projects funded from Category A schemes, the government and industry. She has presented her research to the Parliament of Victoria in Australia for policy development and delivered a number of keynote addresses at both academic and industry forums both nationally and internationally. She has edited books, academic journals, serves as a member on journal editorial boards and chaired conferences and tracks at international conferences.

She has held several leadership positions in her 34 years’ experience as an academic in Australian and international universities. Some of these include Pro Vice Chancellor Research, Deputy Head Research & Innovation, Deputy Head of School Industry Engagement, Director Postgraduate Programs, Director of Research Units and served as a member on Academic Boards at the Fiji National University, RMIT University and Victoria University. She was a visiting Professor at Brunel University in the U.K., and an invited Professor to teach E-Business Management at IESEG Graduate School in France, at Monash University, and University of South Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society, and a member of a large number of academic and professional associations

Dominic Crisci began his career in theatre, studying Drama at QUT. After graduating, he began working in his chosen field as an assistant director on feature films, music videos, commercials and TV in Australia, the United Kingdom and South Korea. In 2010, Dominic moved back to Australia and was fortunate enough to partner with Chris Sun on the Sunshine Coast, produced 3 award-winning feature films, and eventually directed the award-winning Thicker than Water. Simultaneously, Dominic’s passion for game design and development saw him create his first game for android in 2012. Currently, Dominic works in the Josephmark Group at Breeder Studios creating world-renowned interactive experiences and motion graphics while finishing his Masters of Teaching at QUT.

Madonna Stinson is an internationally recognised researcher, author and educator in the fields of drama education, arts curriculum, and creativity. In 2020 she retired from Griffith University where she remains an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Griffith Institute for Educational Research and the School for Education and Professional studies. Across her career she has worked as an actor, director, playwright, artistic director, a primary and early years teacher, a secondary Head of Performing Arts, and an arts curriculum developer. At Griffith University she served in a range of leadership roles, including: Deputy Head of School (Academic); Program Director of both the PhD and Masters Programs; and Director of the Bachelor of Education (Secondary).  For Griffith, Madonna chaired the ground-breaking 2018 Creativity Summit.

She studied at UQ, QUT and Griffith University in Brisbane, and at Central School of Speech and Drama, London. Madonna’s research and teaching concentrates on creative approaches to curriculum and pedagogies, in particular with regard to drama and language. This work has a focus on social justice and considers innovations and connections within drama/arts teaching and learning, creative pedagogies and curriculums with the potential for learner and teacher agency. In Australia, Madonna was a Chief Investigator on the ARC TheatreSpace project (2009-2013), Age-Appropriate Pedagogies for the Department of Education and Training, Queensland (2015-2017), the Y-Connect teaching-artist project (2016-2019) and, most recently, a project focusing on developing teachers as creative writers (Horizon Grant, Education Queensland, 2019-2020). She has provided publishing leadership though her positions as editor of NJ (The Drama Australia Journal), guest editor of two special editions of Research in Drama Education, and as an advisory board member on AJTE, and Pedagogies. In 2014 Madonna was awarded Life Membership of Drama Queensland in recognition for her contribution to the field of drama.

Commencing her career as a primary teacher she quickly became a lead member of a Queensland Education Theatre in Education team. This led to studies at Central School of Speech and Drama (London) after which she returned to take up the position of artistic director at a children’s art centre in Brisbane. Following ten years as HOD (Performing Arts) she moved into curriculum development and became a lead project officer for the formation of the P-10 Arts curriculum in Queensland. In 2002, she joined the National Institute of Education in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore where she worked for seven years, and was the founding director of the UNESCO-NIE Centre for Arts Research in Education. She has been an invited visiting scholar at Reading University (UK), Cambridge University (UK) and the University of Stockholm (Sweden). During her research career she has been awarded nearly $3.5M in research funding, for both individual and collaborative projects. Her publications include 4 books, over 40 scholarly book chapters and refereed journal articles, and other significant professional publications in the fields of drama education, language learning, curriculum and pedagogy. Madonna remains actively engaged in performing arts education, and is a popular and frequent keynote speaker and masterclass facilitator. She is currently researching the long-term outcomes of drama learning in secondary school.

ACCREDITATION

APAC is:

  • A registered Australian Higher Education Provider
  • Accredited by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA)
  • Registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and courses for Overseas Students
  • A registered FEE-HELP provider for all Higher Education Programs

To view our accreditation on TEQSA click here.

To view our CRICOS registration click here.

For details of our financial standing click here.

INDICATIVE STUDENT ENROLMENTS

APAC offers niche degrees in the area of performing arts. The practical nature of the courses offered means that class sizes and overall enrolment numbers remain small. This ensures that APAC can deliver the outcomes students want in a safe supportive environment.

APAC has an average of 40 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Screen and Stage.