Wimar Witoelar

Jakarta-based Wimar Witoelar is a highly respected author and political commentator on South-east Asian and global affairs. He is a well established international columnist with his work appearing in a range of media including the Washington Post, Australian Financial Review, the UK Guardian and Today. Active in the reform movement through his TV talk show Perspektif, he was eventually recruited as Chief Presidential Spokesman for Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid. Passionate about education and the need for regional stability, Wimar keeps a “watch on the world” and is well equipped to discuss movements and developments in our region and the effect these may have on the Australian tertiary education sector. Wimar's views will be valuable intelligence for university marketers working in international recruitment. Today Wimar is chairman of his communication company, InterMatrix Indonesia and is a sought-after speaker on current affairs.

Phillip Adams

For almost 50 years, Phillip Adams' columns in major newspapers and magazines have provoked discussion and outrage. In his speaking engagements, broadcasts and writing Phillip tackles the urgent questions facing society in the 21 st century using wit, humour and provocative opinions to challenge thought and stimulate debate.

Adams is a broadcaster, filmmaker, author, archaeologist, controversialist, social commentator and satirist, In October 2006, a poll conducted by Professor Richard Nyall of Curtin University among 200 senior academics to define ‘the top forty most influential Australian intellectuals' had Adams in the top five with Robert Manne, Tim Flannery, Henry Reynolds and Noel Pearson.

Elected one of Australia's 100 National Living Treasures in the inaugural poll conducted by The National Trust, Adams is the author of over 20 books that have sold over a million copies, including The Unspeakable Adams, Adams Versus God, The Penguin Book of Australian Jokes, Retreat from Tolerance, Talkback and A Billion Voices. His most recent book Adams Ark, was published in 2004.

Adams is currently Chairman of the Centre for the Mind at the University of Sydney and the Australian National University in Canberra . His scores of board memberships have included Greenpeace, CARE Australia, The National Museum of Australia , Adelaide 's Festival of Ideas and Brisbane's Ideas Festival.

Adams has two weekly columns in The Australian newspaper. His radio program, ‘Late Night Live' is broadcast twice a day over the 250-station network of ABC's Radio National and around the world on Radio Australia and the World Wide Web. Late Night Live is Australia's most successful ‘podcast' program, both in Australia and around the world.

Honours awarded to Adams include two Orders of Australia, the Senior ANZAC Fellowship, the Australian Humanist of the Year, the Republican of the Year 2005, the Golden Lion at Cannes, the Longford Award (the highest award of the Australian film industry), a Walkley award, a UN Media prize, four Honorary Doctorates and the Responsibility in Journalism Award at New York University.

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Paul Gardner has his finger on the pulse of marketing and business and keeps a keen eye trained on social trends and implications for corporations and institutions. Quite literally he has his Eye on Australia™. Paul is group chairman, Australia & New Zealand of Grey Global Group Australia. Footy lovers (especially Demon supporters) will know him also as chairman of the Melbourne Football club. After a two-year stint with the Commercial Bank of Australia (now Westpac), Paul went into advertising, eventually joining Grey in 1992 after holding both senior creative and account service positions at a number of Australia's leading agencies.

As well as his Melbourne Football Club office he is chairman of the Malthouse Theatre. He is a Patron of Open Family (a charity that provides support to street kids) and a past Chairman of RMIT's Advertising Industry Advisory Committee.

Dr Jim Macnamara

Dr Jim Macnamara has a 30-year career in media and public communication and is an internationally recognised authority on media and communication planning and measurement.

After working in journalism and in government, organisation and corporate public relations positions, he jointly founded and headed a leading public relations consultancy for 13 years with clients including Microsoft, Dell Computer, Vodafone and Singapore Airlines.

In 1995 he established the Asia Pacific office of CARMA International, the world's leading media analysis firm, and MASS Communication Group, an independent communication research and consulting firm, and continues as Group General Manager – Research for Media Monitors – CARMA Asia Pacific after acquisition of both companies by Media Monitors in early 2006.

He is a Fellow and a former National President of the Public Relations Institute of Australia; a Councillor of the International Public Relations Association; a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute; and the recipient of 10 awards for communication including being named ‘Communicator of the Year' by PR Week Asia in 2002.

As well as his extensive practical experience, Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in journalism, media studies and literary studies; a Master of Arts (MA) by research in media studies; a post-graduate Certificate in Writing; and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in media research.

He is the author of 11 books on media, PR and communication including Jim Macnamara's Public Relations Handbook and numerous papers and articles in professional and academic journals.

In addition to his commercial roles, he was appointed Adjunct Professor in Public Communication at the University of Technology Sydney in 2005.

Professor Margaret Gardner

Professor Margaret Gardner will be of the key participants in Ben Richards's Hypothetical on Day 1 of the Conference. Professor Gardner commenced as Vice-Chancellor and President of RMIT University on 4 April 2005.

Prior to commencing at RMIT, Professor Gardner was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Queensland from December 2000 to March 2005. From 1994 to 2000 Professor Gardner held the position of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Business, Equity) at Griffith University.

She has been a member of various Committees in the areas of the arts, education and industrial relations, and is currently a member on the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund Advisory Committee and the Department of Education, Science and Training's Business/ Industry/Higher Education Collaboration Council.

Professor Gardner currently chairs RMIT International University Vietnam Pty Ltd and RMIT Vietnam Holdings Pty Ltd, and holds directorships on RMIT Training Pty Ltd, RMIT International Pty Ltd, Carrick Institute Board and Open Universities Australia.

Harold Mitchell

Harold Mitchell is Chairman of Mitchell and Partners. He left his position as National Media Director of DMB&B in 1976 to start the company that is now the largest media agency in Australia. He is director of emitch, Australia's largest planner and buyer of internet advertising, and owner of Stadia Media, Australia's largest sports ground advertising contractor.

He remains actively involved with all clients and finds time for a large number of community roles including President, Museums Board of Victoria; Board Member of Opera Australia Council, Chairman CARE Australia Corporate Council, Honorary Councillor ABAF, Chairman, ThoroughVision. He was also Chairman National Gallery Australia and President of Melbourne International Festival of Arts.

In December 2000 he launched the Harold Mitchell Foundation. This is a philanthropic foundation to distribute funds between Health and the Arts. In December 2002 Deakin University conferred on him an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. In 2003 he delivered the Andrew Olle Memorial Lecture on Media.

In January 2004 he was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia for his services as a benefactor and fundraiser in support of artistic and cultural endeavour.

On 28 July 2005 , he was awarded the Richard Pratt Business Leader Award given by the Australian Business Arts Foundation in recognition of excellence in arts leadership.

Pauline Brown

Pauline Brown is Head of Creative Services at Oxford Brookes University
in the UK . She manages a team of 11 and is responsible for producing the University's promotional marketing material, print and web.

Brand management is a key part of her role, following the introduction
of a new corporate identity programme which Pauline led. The programme has been recognised in research, naming Oxford Brookes as being one of only seven universities in the UK with a perceived brand identity.

Pauline joined the University in 1989 and since then has held many different roles, including school liaison and editorial services. Prior to working at Oxford Brookes she worked in the publishing industry at
Oxford University Press and Phaidon Press.

Oxford Brookes (formerly Oxford Polytechnic) received university status in 1992 and has since been rated the top new university by many of the UK 's leading newspapers. It has an excellent reputation for teaching and an innovative curriculum. The University has ambitious plans, including a capital development project of over £110 million, and aims to become
simply one of the best.

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Ron Fairchild

Ron Fairchild, Vice-President, Advancement, at Monash University, has an outstanding international record in advancement activities, particularly in the field of fundraising.

He has directed and supervised campaigns for more than 100 organisations over 23 years. He has wide experience in advancement within the higher education sector and has previously worked with - or consulted to - the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada, Australian National University, the University of Sydney and the University of Auckland.

His Monash portfolio includes advancement, marketing, media communications, student recruitment, alumni activities, event management and overseeing the university's performing and visual arts programs.

A certified fundraising executive, Mr Fairchild has a Bachelor of Human Kinetics from The University of Windsor, Canada and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In 2000 he was honoured as the Fundraising Executive of the Year for the Toronto chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the largest fundraising chapter of the world.

Daniel McDiarmid

Dr Daniel McDiarmid's expertise in integrating marketing, communication and fundraising strategies is well recognised nationally and overseas. He is an experienced and innovative fundraising professional with 25 years of success in raising funds for higher education, research and religious organisations. His 1992 dissertation on “Stewardship and Tithing” was the first Australian PhD to examine philanthropy. Daniel was the first Director of Community Relations at Central Queensland University (1992-95), and was the Manager of Development at RMIT University (1995-98) and QUT (1998-2003). 

Since 2004 at Global Philanthropic he has assisted research institutes, universities, and aid organisations to develop international fundraising capacity, has reviewed the effectiveness and efficiency of school and university fundraising departments, and advised in campaign development and implementation.

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Allison Doorbar

Allison Doorbar is Managing Partner of JWT Education, a division of one of the world's largest communications agencies that provides market research, consulting, branding and communications services to clients in the education sector.  She has worked with over half of Australia's universities as well as many overseas institutions and government bodies.

This includes work with the Australian, British, American, Canadian and German government education departments and many associated organisations, such as IDP Education Australia. Ms Doorbar is widely regarded as an expert in her field and is a regular keynote speaker at education conferences globally.

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Stephen Holmes

Dr Stephen Holmes is one of three founding partners of The Knowledge Partnership, a specialist strategy, marketing and communications research based consultancy providing research, strategic and focused support and intelligence for educational and knowledge-based organizations operating in Australia New Zealand, the UK and Canada
http://www.theknowledgepartnership.com

With an extensive background in teaching, school and university senior management, Stephen is a world leader in re-orientating education institutions toward a market culture that is evidence based, responsive, and directed at building reputation with various interest holders.

Stephen's current client list includes schools, colleges and universities in every Australian state, New Zealand , the UK and Canada . He has published, consulted and spoken around the world for schools, colleges and universities on matters relating to education marketing and reputation management at the highest levels for over a decade.

Stephen is one of very few in the world with a PhD in the specific field of marketing education. Stephen's academic partnerships have included being visiting specialist in education marketing at The University of Queensland and the University of Southern Queensland in Australia and the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, including development and delivery of higher degree courses in education marketing for students worldwide. He also has written widely for CREM, The Centre for Research in Education Marketing, based at The University of Southampton in the UK. Stephen is also the author of ‘The School Marketing Manual', the best selling education marketing reference.

He is a Director of the MaXimizE (Excellence in Education) benchmarking and evaluation project adopted by a range of school systems and universities internationally, and most recently The Reputation Assessor evaluation and benchmarking research process for schools.

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Richard Henderson

Richard Henderson is a leading Australian design professional with an international reputation. He is Visiting Design Professor, Southern Yangste University Wuxi, Academy of Design Guangzhou in China, a lifetime member of Australian Graphic Design Association and regularly lectures to colleges and universities in Australia and overseas.

Richard was the design director for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games identity program and he was the Visual Identity Consultant to the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

He has more than 26 years of experience in the development of a diverse range of brand image projects – retail, corporate, environmental and government. His experience includes the imaging of identities for Telstra, AFL, BHP Billiton, Crown, ANZ Bank, FoodWorks, Bunnings, Orica, Johnson & Johnson, and MCG.

In 2003, Richard established R-Co, a brand identity, image and internet solutions consultancy. The focus of R-Co is on helping clients establish a competitive advantage through innovation, creativity and imagination. Recent projects include the new identity for the financial group Finsia, the rebranding of the newly merged superannuation fund AustralianSuper and the identity for the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Richard is represented in publications around the world and has won many awards. He is a consultant to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Robert Lawrence

Robert Lawrence is principal of Prospect Research and Marketing and is internationally regarded as a leading authority on education research and planning. He has played an instrumental role in the growth of the international education industry and for creating innovative marketing and communications strategies for both domestic and overseas audiences.

The scope of Robert's activities includes purchaser and influencer testing, new media, reaching Generation Y through digital and targeted media, campus feasibility studies, course research and development, graduate employment strategies, e-marketing strategies for education, positioning plans, education brand strategies, destination brand building, forecasting growth, campaign testing, employers needs testing, student retention programs, alumni marketing plans, yield management strategies and academic satisfaction.

Over the past decade Robert has conducted over 150 planning, positioning, market research and feasibility projects across 18 countries. He has created more than thirty education brands, and evaluated results from over 200,000 education-surveys and interviews. Robert has moderated 1,300 focus groups, and conducted more than 3,600 depth interviews with decision makers, opinion leaders, stakeholders and employers.

David Poulton