Academic Board
MEMBERS
DR MICHAEL 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
Member, Kaplan Business School Corporate Board
Member, Kaplan Higher Education Corporate Board
EMERITUS PROFESSOR MEREDITH LAWLEY
Academic Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, USC
- Master of Business, USC
- Bachelor of Business, UQ
Career Overview
Emeritus 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
Chair, Murdoch College Grade Ratification and Assessment Committee
PROFESSOR 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 Business School Academic Board
Member, Kaplan Higher Education Academic Board
Chair, Appeals Committee
Chair, Kaplan Professional Grade Ratification & Assessment Committee
Chair, Kaplan Business School Grade Ratification & Assessment Committee
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ALI TAMADDONI
Academic Qualifications
- PhD Marketing- Quantitative (Monash University)
- Masters (Lulea University of Technology)
- Graduate Certificate Higher Education, Learning and Teaching (Deakin University)
- Bachelor of Materials Engineering-Industrial Metallurgy (Azad University)
Career Overview
Ali Tamaddoni is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing, Deakin Business School. His research interests include churn management, customer analytics and User-Generated Content (UGC). Ali's work has been published in the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Service Research, and Decision Support Systems, among others.
Kaplan Contribution
Member, KBS Academic Board
PROFESSOR MIKE WOOD
Academic Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Economics), University of Western Australia
- Bachelor of Economics, Aquinas College
Career Overview
Professor Mike Wood has considerable experience working on boards and committees, often as chair. In addition to chairing the Curtin Business School Executive between 1999 and 2006.
Professor Wood was for six years the chairman of the WA Government Salaries and Allowances Tribunal which sets remuneration for Members of Parliament, the judiciary, senior public servants and local government leaders.
He was the Chair of the Kaplan pathway college, MIT, at Murdoch University and subsequently a member of the MIT-Murdoch Academic Sub Committee until 2021.
He has had considerable experience in the not-for-profit sector, having been Chairman of the Board of Daughters of Charity (W A) Inc. and later Chairman of Members (Trustees) of Ruah Community Services.
Professor Wood has been the voluntary chairman or member of over 60 assessments of business schools around the world over the last 16 years. The assessments provided advice to the European Foundation for Management Development on the accreditation of business schools for the quality of their work. Matters such as strategy, positioning, innovations in teaching and learning, on-line learning, recognition of prior learning, teaching quality, research output, international partners, student feedback and finances were included among the standards reviewed.
Kaplan Contribution
Member, Kaplan Business School Academic Board
Member, Kaplan Higher Education Academic Board
Chair, Joint Academic Committee, Murdoch College
EMERITUS PROFESSOR TANIA ASPLAND
Academic Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Master of Education
- Bachelor of Education
- Bachelor of Arts
- Diploma of Teaching
Career Overview
Emeritus 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 was the President of the Australian Council of Deans of Education and sat 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 Business School Academic Board
Member, Kaplan Higher Education Academic Board
PROFESSOR JAMES ADONOPOULOS
Academic 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
Academic Dean, Kaplan Professional
Chair, KBS Teaching & Learning Committee
Member, KBS Academic Board
Member, KBS Grade Ratification and Assessment Committee
DR STEWART ALFORD
Academic Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Master of Health Science (Aged Care Management & Health Services Management)
- Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice
- Bachelor of Health Science (Therapeutic Recreation)
- Associate Fellow, Australasian College of Health Services Management
Career Overview
Dr Stewart Alford is the Academic Director – Integrated Business Management at Kaplan Business School. He brings over a decade of academic experience across Australian higher education settings, having led teaching teams, departmental operations, and curriculum innovation across foundation, undergraduate, and postgraduate programs. His leadership has spanned multiple institutions, with a focus on strategic course renewal and academic quality enhancement. Dr Alford’s research bridges health service management and higher education. His health-related scholarship centres on quality and safety, leadership, workforce capability, and mental health system reform. In the education domain, his work explores student engagement, work-integrated learning, and innovative pedagogies tailored to health education. He is a published academic, experienced curriculum innovator, and committed researcher dedicated to advancing evidence-based practice in both healthcare delivery and tertiary education.
Kaplan Contribution
Academic Director, (Integrated Business Management), Kaplan Business School
Member, Kaplan Business School Academic Board
Member, Kaplan Business School Teaching and Learning Committee
DR ALASDAIR MACDONALD
Academic Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh
- Master of International Business Administration, CQ University
- Bachelor of Science (Honours), University of Glasgow
- Certificate in Online Teaching, Torrens University Australia
- Certificate in Quality Management Systems
- Associate Fellow, Australasian College of Health Services Management
Career Overview
Dr Alasdair A. MacDonald is a Lecturer and Subject Coordinator at KBS, contributing to teaching, subject design, and curriculum development. His teaching philosophy is centred on bringing real-world workplace experience into the classroom and drawing on his own journey as an international student in Australia.
From Silicon Valley to Fortitude Valley, Alasdair’s diverse career spans over 30 years of management experience across sectors including biotechnology, aged care, disability services, and education and training. He is known for his ability to drive continuous improvement and identify unique points of difference in professional practice.
Outside the classroom, Alasdair runs his own consulting business, providing a range of services to clients in the healthcare sector.
At both academic and professional levels, he has received multiple awards, chaired various working parties, and is widely recognised as a subject matter expert across a range of disciplines.
Kaplan Contribution
Member, Kaplan Business School Academic Board
Member, Kaplan Business School Teaching and Learning Committee
CAMILO CARMARGO
Academic Qualifications
- Master of Information Technology (Extension)
- Bachelor of Systems Engineering
Career Overview
Camilo is currently completing a Master of Information Technology (Extension), specialising in Analytics at Kaplan Business School (KBS). In addition to being the Student Representative on the KBS Academic Board, Camilo has been a student volunteer since he commenced his course and has twice won the highest achiever award at KBS Adelaide. Camilo has over seven years of experience as a software engineer having worked in the USA, Colombia and Brazil in different industries such as human resources, occupational health, staffing, payroll and retail.
Kaplan Contribution
- KBS Student Representative, Kaplan Business School Academic Board