IEAA Learning Abroad Forum 2025

Stewart has led the Swinburne Abroad team as a professional staff member for over 10 years and before that worked in international student recruitment, support and admissions. Stewart has also been an international student himself in Indonesia and Thailand.

Brad is passionate about international education and travel. After graduating from the University of Newcastle, where he was awarded a cultural scholarship and coordinated the second ‘Cultural Awakenings Festival’, Brad travelled the world and has since visited 70+ countries. Brad has been involved in international education for approx. 30 years and worked at a number of Australian Universities and for a number of international companies. Brad studied abroad in NZ and the USA, has attended the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and volunteered abroad on several occasions. Brad has presented at international conferences such as NAFSA, ISANA, the Mobility Forum, AIEC and CCIS and now lives on the Gold Coast, Australia.

Professor Nicholas Farrelly is currently a Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Tasmania, where he previously spent four years as Head of Social Sciences. He specialises in the study of political, cultural and strategic issues across Southeast Asia. Earlier in his career, Nicholas held academic leadership positions at the Australian National University, including as Associate Dean in the College of Asia and the Pacific. He is a member of the ASEAN-Australia Centre’s inaugural Advisory Board and Deputy Chair of the Board of Australia’s National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. In 2024, Nicholas was a member of the External Advisory Group that supported the review of the New Colombo Plan.

Phil has been IEAA's Chief Executive Officer since November 2011. Previously, he was a Member of the Victorian State Parliament (1988–2006), Minister for Tertiary Education, Training and Multicultural Affairs (1996–1999) and Deputy Leader of the Opposition (2002–2006). Since retiring from politics, Phil worked at Stott’s Business College and Cambridge International College. Phil is the Chairman of the Roundtable of International Education Peak Body CEOs and a member of the Tuition Protection Service Board. Phil is also a Board member of the Bennelong Philanthropic Foundation and the Bangarra Group Board.

Ailsa Lamont is a Co-Founder and CEO of IESG, the International Education Sustainability Group which provides comparative data, insights and emissions tracking for the international education sector. She has been at the forefront of promoting climate action in the field of international education for a decade. Prior to that, Ailsa had a long career in international leadership roles at Australian universities and in capacity building work in eastern Europe. She has served as a NAFSA Senior Fellow for Sustainability, and her work was recognised in 2023 with the International Education Association of Australia’s Award for Distinguished Contribution to International Education.

Bradley has worked in international education for over 15 years, specialising in student mobility for the last 10 years. He has worked at institutions in Australia and abroad in Japan. Currently working as the Senior Adviser in Global Mobility (Inbound Programs) at the University of Melbourne, Brad is responsible for recruiting incoming study abroad & exchange students, coordinating applications processing, through to onboarding administration and the overall student experience while onshore. Brad works with the University’s exchange partners and study abroad providers to promote UniMelb as a destination as choice, give advice and support on current industry developments & trends, and ensure all incoming students receive a fantastic overseas study experience while in Melbourne.

Keri is an Economist with over 18 years’ experience in international education. He previously worked at Macquarie University after completing his Master in International Business. He was the Virtual Marketing Coordinator at Macquarie International which saw him manage, not only the universities international online marketing strategies, but also managed the marketing intelligence reports, student communication and enquiry protocols for Macquarie International. He established Studymove in 2007 and has completed various consulting projects for numerous Australian and International universities in the areas of benchmarking in Learning Abroad, marketing intelligence and online marketing. Keri loves stats and loves telling a story with data! He has presented at various domestic and international conferences including AIEC, APAIE and NAFSA. Keri won the 2025 IEAA Excellence Award in Professional Commentary.

Linda is Manager, Global Learning at University of Melbourne. She has previously held roles at RMIT, James Cook University and Flinders University. Linda is currently Convener of the Learning Abroad network.

Tristanne Scott-Durairajah is Associate Director, International Relations and PhD candidate at the University of Tasmania. Her professional portfolio at the University of Tasmania encompasses transnational education, international partnerships, foreign government engagement and learning abroad. She is concurrently a PhD candidate in the University of Tasmania’s School of Social Sciences where she is examining the impact of global insecurity on Australian universities.

With over 20 years’ experience in international education, in recruitment, sponsor relations, business development, and learning abroad, Simon is currently the Senior Manager of Global Mobility Programs at University of Technology Sydney. He leads a dedicated team supporting UTS’s ambitious goal of 50% participation in learning abroad and oversees the successful study abroad program. He is passionate about innovation, community, equity and access, and the value of global mobility for all graduates. Simon is an IEAA Associate Fellow.