Academic Board
MEMBERS
DR MIKE EVANS
Academic Qualifications
· Doctor of Philosophy
· Master of Business Administration
· Bachelor of Economics
Career Overview
Dr Michael Evans is an independent academic consultant. Prior to Mike’s retirement from Kaplan Higher Education in August 2018, he was responsible for the Academic oversight of all Kaplan Higher Education operations in Australia. This includes driving the academic strategic direction of all areas of Kaplan’s higher education business including Kaplan Business School, Murdoch Institute of Technology, Bradford College and Kaplan Professional’s online postgraduate finance courses.
Prior to joining Kaplan Mike was a Professor of Management and Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Business and Law at Southern Cross University in Australia. Mike has a wide range of business experience, with skills in managing, consulting, teaching and research. His recent research has focused on regional development and the business implications of climate change. He also has interests in valuation, innovation, commercialisation, and value creation within organisations. He has undertaken a wide range of applied research and consulting assignments for clients including reviews of strategic planning and implementation, performance measurement and evaluation, valuation and financial analysis. He has also been actively involved in executive education activities, with a focus on accounting, finance and strategy. He has consulting, research and teaching experience across Australia, in Asia and in Europe. Mike has a wealth of experience in Asia, having been involved in business development for universities since 1987, focused on Singapore, Malaysia and China. He has managed academic and business activities across 10 countries. Mike’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Economics, Master of
Business Administration and Doctor of Philosophy. Mike also holds a prestige Fellow of CPA Australia (FCPA) designation.
Kaplan Contribution
Chair, Kaplan Business School Academic Board
Chair, Kaplan Higher Education Academic Board
PATRICK GALLAGHER
Adjunct Lecturer – Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance, Macquarie University
Academic Qualifications
· LLM: (University of Sydney)
· MCom (UNSW)
· BCom (UNSW)
· LLB (UNSW)
· Fellow of CPA Australia
· Chartered Tax Adviser of Taxation Institute of Australia
Professional Qualifications
· FASSA
· FCPA
Career Overview
Patrick Gallagher has board experience in a number of entities in the university, public and private sector – including at ASX listed entity level. He is currently an adjunct staff member and lecturer-in-charge of courses at Macquarie University at Masters level. He is also an instructor within the CPA Program of CPA Australia and from 2004 to 2012 was a consultant, instructor and review examiner for CPA Australia Greater China (including a period as review examiner for exams jointly held with the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs).
He was formerly an Associate Professor in the Law Faculty at UNSW (which included co-founding and acting as Director of the Australian Taxation Studies Program) with various other responsibilities including – a member of University Committees and also a member of university entities’ Boards of Directors. He has also been an Associate Professor in the Law Faculty at the University of Western Sydney which included a period as Director, re-constructing the MCom (Financial Planning) degree.
Patrick has extensive domestic and international experience, including as Australian Director of ‘AusAid’ programs in China. His experience extends to strategy development (including as strategy consultant to the large Chinese corporation TsingHua TongFang), governance, company and taxation law and finance and risk management.
Patrick was the Founding President of the Australasian Tax Teachers’ Association and is currently an adviser and governance consultant to organisations in the not-for-profit sector (including charitable and religious organisations).
Patrick is also the author of many papers and publications in Australia and overseas. This includes the former Australian Vice-Chancellor’s Committee, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the World Bank, the Ford Foundation and various universities including UNSW and Potsdam University. He has also presented at conferences and seminars of the Australian Taxation Institute. He is currently Author for CPA Australia “CPA118 Ethics and Governance” segment which is studied by approximately 11,000 CPA candidates each year. Author/co-author of the majority of assessable written educational materials for since 2011 to the present (S1 2014).
Patrick is also the sole Director of a specialist consulting company and in this capacity, he provides practical advice on many aspects of governance, tax and risk.
Current Responsibilities
Managing Director, Governance Tax & Risk Pty Ltd
Consultant to IGAP at Macquarie University
Kaplan Contribution
Member, Kaplan Business School Academic Board
PROFESSOR TANIA ASPLAND
Qualifications
· Doctor of Philosophy
· Master of Education
· Bachelor of Education
· Bachelor of Arts
· Diploma of Teaching
Career Overview
Professor Tania Aspland is the Vice President, Academic for Kaplan Business School and Kaplan Higher Education.
Tania has been employed in higher education and the university sector since 1980. During the past twenty years she has focused her expertise around several areas of scholarship, including teacher education, postgraduate pedagogy and higher education curriculum studies. Tania is a highly respected academic, having recently held the roles of Professor in Teacher Education at the Australian Catholic University in Sydney and Dean, Education Policy and Strategy where she has provided high-level advice on teacher education, governance and policy.
Tania is also the current President of the Australian Council of Deans of Education and sits on a number of boards for the Australian government. Tania’s research focus has been on educational policy, leadership and reform, higher education curriculum and teacher education.
Kaplan Contribution
Member, Kaplan Higher Education Academic Board
Member, Kaplan Business School Academic Board
PROFESSOR JAMES ADONOPOULOS
Qualifications
· Doctor of Philosophy
· Master of Business Leadership
· Bachelor of Arts (Politics and International Relations)
Career Overview
Professor James Adonopoulos thesis was centred on the ways in which leaders influence employee engagement during organisational crises and significant change. Prior to his appointment as the Academic Dean at Kaplan Business School, he was employed as a sessional member of staff at Macquarie University and the University of Technology, Sydney.His academic history is supported by practical corporate experience as a leader in a variety of industries, such as financial services and contact centres, at which his most noteworthy achievements were in relation to his employees' engagement, performance and retention. In combination with his books and fortnightly newsletter, his insights on workplace relations are read by 100,000 people every month.
For more than a decade, he has worked with hundreds of organisations as a speaker, facilitator and consultant, helping them successfully lead change, engage staff, and improve performance. This work has taken him to almost a dozen countries, working with clients that include McDonald's, American Express, Coca-Cola, Qantas, Optus, Ernst & Young, Gucci, Toyota and many government departments.
Kaplan Contribution
Academic Dean, Kaplan Business School
Chair, KBS Teaching & Learning Committee
Member, KBS Academic Board
Member, KBS Grade Ratification and Assessment Committee
DR SUSAN OAKLEY
Academic Qualifications
· PhD (Sociology), Flinders University
· BA (Hons), Flinders University
Career Overview
Professor Oakley is Head, School of Social Sciences within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Adelaide. The School is divided into four departments: Anthropology and Development Studies; Asian Studies; Geography, Environment and Population; Sociology, Criminology and Gender Studies; and Politics & International Relations. The school is also affiliated with seven research centres, institutes and development units. Susan’s research expertise is two-fold: the relationship between planning, governance and urban regeneration and youth homelessness. Susan is an active member of the Centre for Housing, Urban & Regional Planning.
Kaplan Contribution
Member, Kaplan Higher Education Academic Board
Member, Kaplan Business School Academic Board
Chair, Murdoch Institute of Technology Grade Ratification & Assessment Committee
Chair, Kaplan Professional Grade Ratification & Assessment Committee
Chair, Kaplan Business School Grade Ratification & Assessment Committee
PROFESSOR MEREDITH LAWLEY
Academic Qualifications
· Doctor of Philosophy, USC
· Master of Business, USC
· Bachelor of Business, UQ
Career overview
Professor Meredith Lawley is currently the Acting Head, School of Business (Faculty of Arts, Business and Law) and a Professor (Marketing) at University of Sunshine Coast. Meredith has extensive experience in the delivery of higher education programs both within Australia and internationally. Meredith has a strong academic interest in the areas of marketing, consumer behaviour, international and online education. She is a member of the editorial review boards for both the Asian and European Journal of Marketing and has been an active TEQSA Expert since 2014.
Kaplan Contribution
Member, Kaplan Higher Education Academic Board
Member, Kaplan Business School Academic Board
PROFESSOR ROBIN WOELLNER
Academic Qualifications
· Bachelor of Arts/Law
Career Overview
Robin Woellner was Pro Vice-Chancellor (Law, Business and the Creative Arts), James Cook University, Townsville and prior to that the Foundation Dean of the Faculty of Law and Foundation Dean of the College of Law and Business at University of Western Sydney. He has also served in various executive positions including as Vice President of the Australian Business Deans Council.
Robin is the lead author of Australia's pre-eminent tax textbook - Australian Taxation Law - has researched and published extensively, and is a respected commentator on all tax matters.
Kaplan Contribution
Member, Kaplan Business School Academic Board
Member, Kaplan Higher Education Academic Board
DR MARK WHEATON
Academic Qualifications
- Bachelor Economics (University of Adelaide)
- Master Arts (International Relations) (Flinders University)
- Doctor of Business Administration (University of Newcastle)
- Fellow of CPA Australia
Career Overview
Dr Mark Wheaton is the Academic Director-Accounting, Auditing and Taxation and is responsible for the quality and delivery of the Accounting programs for Kaplan Business School (KBS). Mark’s role with Kaplan is to provide expert guidance to academic heads, subject coordinators and lecturers and embrace, innovative ideas about the novel ways in which accounting can be more effectively taught.
Prior to working for KBS Mark has worked in industry, private practice, business and recently academia. During his career, he has worked as an investigating accountant, banker, practitioner, director and academic. Mark was Head of Accounting, Economics, Finance and Marketing for RMIT Vietnam. Prior to entering academia Mark was a co-founder, Chairman and CFO of Valuation Exchange. Mark directed and implemented strategies that saw Valuation Exchange developed into the largest mortgage valuation business in Australia. Mark was the Managing Partner of a substantial accounting practise in Australia and along with 4 partners built a comprehensive practise focussed on business acquisitions. Mark’s Doctoral dissertation is concerned with accounting education and the need to employ engaging pedagogies. He is current research interests are accounting education in Asia. Mark is an avid mountain trekker having walked many parts of the World.
Kaplan Contribution
Member, Kaplan Business School, Academic Board
Member, Kaplan Business School, Teaching & Learning Committee
KIMBERLEY KIM
Academic Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts (Information & Library Science)
- Master of Business Administration (University of Technology, Sydney)
Career Overview
Kimberly Kim is a lecturer in Accounting, Finance and Taxation at Kaplan Business School and also lectures at Torrens University. She runs her own public accounting and tax practice for the past five years after 15 years of working in tax and corporate accounting fields. Kimberly holds a Masters of Business Administration majoring in Professional Accounting. Kim is a Certified Professional Accountant and a member of the Institute of Public Accountants.
Kaplan Contribution
Member, Kaplan Business School, Academic Board
ALEKSANDRA VOJINOVIKJ
Aleksandra is currently completing a Master of Business Administration, specialising in Project Management at Kaplan Business School (KBS).
In addition to being the Student Representative on the KBS Academic Board, Aleksandra is also a Student Ambassador which involves enabling a sense of community and enhancing student engagement. She actively supports fellow students in getting the most out of their educational experience and assists staff at KBS student events.
Kaplan Contribution
KBS Student Representative, Kaplan Business School Academic Board