Academic Board

Gary Smith

Director and Chair of Academic Board

Emeritus Professor Gary Smith is a senior higher education leader with extensive experience in academic governance, international education and institutional strategy. He was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) at Deakin University, where he led international strategy, partnerships, student recruitment, marketing and global engagement. He has also held senior leadership positions at Western Sydney University and the University of South Australia.

Professor Smith has served on academic and governing boards and currently chairs the academic boards of higher education providers. He sees the Academic Board as central to safeguarding academic standards, assuring course quality and student outcomes, and providing independent advice to the governing board. He brings particular expertise in regulatory compliance, course development and transnational education. He holds a PhD in International Relations from Monash University.

Dr Syed Haider
Dean
Syed Haider is an accomplished academic leader and industry expert with more than three decades of combined experience across higher education and industry, including TEQSA compliance and accreditation, strategic planning, teaching innovation, curriculum design, quality assurance, institutional governance, and regulatory compliance. He holds a PhD in Accounting and three master’s degrees, Master of Software Development, Master of Banking and Finance, and Master of Business Administration, alongside a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Economics and a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education.

Syed is currently serving as Dean at Edvantage Institute Australia, where he provides overarching academic leadership for the Institute’s higher education portfolio.

Prior to joining Edvantage Institute Australia, Syed served as Dean of Higher Education at a private higher education provider, where he played a central role in establishing and consolidating the College’s higher education operations and regulatory standing. His career progression has included senior leadership roles at Victoria University, such as Head of Learning and Teaching, where he developed contemporary, evidence-informed pedagogy and the integration of digital and work-integrated learning approaches, and Head of Academic Planning, where he led strategic academic initiatives, program development, and the alignment of academic offerings with institutional strategy and market demand. As Planning Manager for a Business College, he led change management, efficiency and process improvements through data-informed decision-making, planning processes, and the implementation of strong academic quality and governance frameworks.

Syed also serves as an Adjunct Fellow at Victoria University, where he contributes to scholarly engagement, and he is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ).

Professor John Hall, PHD

Academic Board Member

Prof Hall is an esteemed academic with previous experience from the Department of Marketing in Deakin Business School. Prof Hall’s research, teaching and publication areas are marketing related, including research methodology and analysis, international marketing, non-profit and social marketing, branding, tourism and hospitality marketing, marketing education and consumer behaviour, which have resulted in obtaining two ARC grants and numerous A-level publications. He enjoys teaching students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level as well as supervising postgraduate and research students. He also has experience in leadership and management, including being a Head of Department and Dean.

Professor Garry Harris
Academic Board Member
Garry brings a unique mixture of board level industry experience and relevant academic management to EIA. He has been professor and Head of the Marketing Department at Monash University and the CEO of one of the largest advertising agencies groups in the world (DDB). More recently, based in Hong Kong, he served as a Global Marketing Director for a significant international digital technology player. Throughout his career, he has consulted at board level to global blue chip clients in Australia, Asia, USA and Europe. His Monash experience included teaching, research and building links with industry. At the time, Monash marketing had the largest marketing department in the Southern Hemisphere and secured undergraduate students that ranked within the top 3% of high school results. While at Monash, he also developed undergraduate degrees in marketing and retail management and graduate diplomas in International Trade, Logistics and Agribusiness together with a Master’s degree in Marketing (the first of its kind in Australia) and attracted top PhD research students to the department. During this time, he was the chairman of committee that led to Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM) award. More recently, he has spent 6 years as a member of the Academic Board at Cambridge International College. At the time, they successfully developed a bachelor’s degree in management. Whilst running DDB, he was responsible for 300 staff, 50 clients (including Heinz, Cadbury, Schweppes, Telstra, McDonalds, Flybuys, etc.) and subsidiary companies in PR, direct marketing and the largest call center in the Southern Hemisphere, Salesforce, of which he was Chairman. He continues to advise leading companies at board level and governments on strategy, branding and digital opportunities. He also retains a number of board posts in Australia, Asia and Europe.

Liz Levin

Academic Board Member

Dr Levin has extensive experience in accreditation and governance roles, both within Swinburne University and in external capacities. At Swinburne, Dr Levin served as the Deputy Chair of the Academic Senate Course Committee from 2015 to 2024. Additionally, Dr Levin have chaired external review panels for undergraduate programs at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the University of the Sunshine Coast. Dr Levin has also contributed as an external member on several business course advisory committees at both public universities and private higher education providers. Since 2019, Dr Levin has been listed on the TEQSA Register of Experts and has successfully conducted over a dozen reviews across all levels of higher education.