Skyline Higher Education Australia Pty Ltd SHEA is a proprietary company established under the Corporations Act 2001. SHEA is registered as an Institute of Higher Education under the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Act 2011 [Provider registration : PRV14377].
SHEA is also approved to accept international students [CRICOS Provider Code : 04214J]
SHEA is governed by a Board of Directors, comprised of a majority of independent members and an owners’ representative. The independence of the Board of Directors provides a mechanism to separate the Company’s ownership and governance from the Institute’s management and provide independent business, financial and higher education expertise and advice at the highest level of decision-making. The Board of Directors is chaired by one of its independent members. The Board of Directors sets the Institute’s mission and strategic goals and ensures the Institute continues to meet its legal, regulatory, financial and social obligations and responsibilities.
Chair and independent non-executive director, SHEA Higher Education Corporate Board Master of Letters – Policy Studies (M.Litt.) University of New England Bachelor of Social Science (B.Soc.Sc) University of New England Mr Bridge has had 20 years’ experience in leading and managing higher education institutions.. He is currently Managing Director of RTO Advance and served for 6 years as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Higher Education Leadership Institute (HELI) , an institute of higher education. Previously, Mr Bridge was engaged by The Entourage Education Group in a number of roles, including Quality Assurance and Governance Adviser, Head of Education and Faculty and Director of Quality Control From 2009 to 2015, Mr Bridge was General Manager of St Patrick’s Institute of Education where he had responsibility for the strategic leadership and operational management. Mr Bridge has extensive experience in leading senior management teams and developing and deploying quality assurance management systems in education. Preceding a career in higher education, Mr Bridge had a range of senior roles with the NSW Government in policy development and executive management with the Premiers Department and in the police and justice portfolios.
Independent non-executive director, SHEA Higher Education Corporate Board, and Chair of the Academic Board
Professor Emeritus Zbys Klich, PhD, has held previous appointments as Vice-President of Southern Cross University in Australia, Global Director of Academic Affairs for SAE Institute, and as a Research Fellow at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. His PhD research examined cross-cultural cognitive skills. His teaching, research and publications have been in the areas of intercultural studies, professional learning and professional development, collaborative partnerships between universities with regions as well as with industry groups, and have included work published through the NATO Scientific Studies Division, and with the OECD in Europe.
He has been an advisor on several international education projects, has worked as a consultant for national and state government projects in Australia, and has served on Ministerial Advisory Councils for Education.
He has been a quality auditor for the Australian Universities Quality Agency, as well as higher education specialist auditor for the Government of Oman.
Non-Executive Director
Mahendra Oli, CEO of Skyline International College (SIC), leverages a rich leadership background in technology, business, and entrepreneurship to drive strategic planning and business operations. With over 16 years of professional experience, Mahendra has held senior management positions at major telecommunications companies in Australia, including roles as Solution Architect, Senior Project Engineer, and Network Engineer. His expertise encompasses strategic panning, financial management, public relations, and partnership management, ensuring comprehensive success in the educational sector.
Oli is also a Patron of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), Australia. During his term as NRNA President, he planned, prepared and executed several projects within Australia and overseas, leading a national team of 138 Committee members Australia-wide.
He previously acted as the Director and Founder of MyNepal Television (MNTV) Australia. He established MNTV as an internet-based streaming solution (IPTV) and news portal made to support the news and entertainment needs of the Nepali community in Australia.
His cultural competence gives him the unique advantage of working with individuals from different cultures by leveraging cultural diversity to ensure the highest levels of student and client satisfaction.
To provide a framework whereby the Institute is equipped with independent academic advice, SHEA’s Board of Directors delegates the academic governance of the Institute to the Academic Board. The Academic Board comprises academic staff from other higher education providers, tertiary education practitioners, members of the Institute’s academic staff and a representative of the Institute’s alumni.
The Academic Board operates independently of the ownership and management of the Institute to assure the academic integrity of the Institute’s courses. The Academic Board has responsibility for academic policymaking, academic administration and oversight of the educational processes. This ensures that the Academic Board maintains appropriate control over the administration of the curriculum to allow educational objectives to be achieved. The Academic Board is chaired by one of its independent members.
Independent non-executive director, SHEA Higher Education Corporate Board, and Chair of the Academic Board
Professor Emeritus Zbys Klich, PhD, has held previous appointments as Vice-President of Southern Cross University in Australia, Global Director of Academic Affairs for SAE Institute, and as a Research Fellow at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. His PhD research examined cross-cultural cognitive skills. His teaching, research and publications have been in the areas of intercultural studies, professional learning and professional development, collaborative partnerships between universities with regions as well as with industry groups, and have included work published through the NATO Scientific Studies Division, and with the OECD in Europe.
He has been an advisor on several international education projects, has worked as a consultant for national and state government projects in Australia, and has served on Ministerial Advisory Councils for Education.
He has been a quality auditor for the Australian Universities Quality Agency, as well as higher education specialist auditor for the Government of Oman.
Independent member of the SHEA Higher Education Academic Board
Prof Lucy Taksa is Professor of Management with the Department of Management, Deakin University Business School and Honorary Professor, School of Geography and Sustainable Communities, University of Wollongong.
She was Head of the School of Organisation and Management, and Associate Dean Education in the Faculty of Commerce and Economics/Australian School of Business, UNSW from 2003-2006 and from August 2009 until 2014, she was Head of the Department of Marketing and Management. From 2015 until 2018 she was the Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Business and Economics.
As Head of School/Department, she was engaged in curriculum review, curriculum mapping and developing and implementing teaching and learning strategies. As Associate Dean Education at UNSW she facilitated the fulfilment of the University’s Learning and Teaching Performance Indicators for the Faculty of Commerce and Economics, resulting in the faculty’s top ratings in 2006. She also managed the Faculty’s Education Development Unit. At Macquarie University, she also introduced a range of employability related initiatives, work integrated learning and new cross-faculty degrees, including a Bachelor of Business Analytics offered by the Department of Marketing and Management and the Department of Computing in the Science Faculty. At UNSW she was a member of the Academic Board and at Macquarie University she was an elected member of the University Senate.
Lucy’s research interests are broadly on the past, present and future of work, and work organisation; management ideas and strategies and practises; gender, cultural and age diversity;diversity and cross-cultural management; management, business and higher education. She has published on the history of management and technical education and the transferability of soft skills in business education. Recently she has also published on digitalisation.
Lucy has also conducted numerous external research projects with a range of government, private sector and non-government organisations including: Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI), CANON, Catholic Education Commission NSW, the Sax Institute and NSW Ministry of Health – Workforce Development, and SkillsIQ. She was involved in international research projects based at Montreal University focused on teleworking and future skills, in relation to the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence on organisations and employment. In 2021 she collaborated with colleagues on the Future of Work at Macquarie University commissioned by the University’s Executive.
She is co-Editor-in-Chief with Prof. Amanda Pyman (Dean Deakin Business School) of theJournal of Industrial Relations and on the editorial boards of Economic and Labour Relations Review, and Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations (Canada), among others
Independent member of the SHEA Higher Education Academic Board
Dr Joo-Gim Heaney has worked at a number of universities, including in the USA and Australia, and private higher education providers in positions related to higher education leadership positions, and corporate and academic governance. Dr Heaney was the Dean of the School of Business at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney, and held senior academic positions at Griffith University and at Franklin & Marshall College (USA). Dr Heaney was an External Accreditation Reviewer for the Pennsylvania State Department of Education, and a Board member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas for Music Education (USA, Canada and South America). In relation to private higher education institutes, Dr Heaney’s executive leadership and governance role includes those at the Australian Institute of Higher Education (AIH), Higher Education Leadership Institute (HELI), Apex Higher Education (AHE), and the Australian School of Accounting (ASA).
Dr Heaney has received numerous awards and grants in Australia and the USA, including a Learning and Teaching Citation at Griffith University. She has a total of more than thirty refereed publications, in journals including the Journal of Financial Services Marketing; International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations; Journal of International Consumer Marketing; International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing; International Journal of Bank Marketing; as well as refereed international business and marketing conference publications, where she is an Executive Fellow of the Advisory Committee of the Academy of World Business, Marketing and Management Development.
Independent member of the SHEA Higher Education Academic Board
Gerold is an experienced executive, having worked for many years in senior management roles across the Coca-Cola system in Australia, Europe, and Asia. His expertise is in the fields of risk and crisis management, and he works with leadership teams on the integration of ERM with strategy to drive business growth while ensuring that robust crisis management programs exist to protect the business. He is an advocate for development through continuous learning and is active in coaching, mentoring, and educating managers across industry sectors on risk and strategy.
Gerold brings a wealth of business experience to his role on the Academic Board.
Associate Professor and Dean
PhD (Information Systems), MBA (Professional Accounting), BBus (MIS), SFHEA
Dr Blount’s experience in higher education spans 20 years, designing curricula, teaching and researching information systems. She has extensive expertise in curriculum development of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including business information systems and cybersecurity. She is a Senior Fellow of HEA, which is evidence of her strong contribution to course development, leadership, and mentoring in learning and teaching.
Before academia, she worked in senior management roles in the banking and IT sectors. She is a member of the Association of Information Systems (AIS) and the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM).
Her research interests include anywhere working (hybrid work, telework), supply chain, telehealth, cyber security (cyber governance, management, and ethics), blockchain, and other emerging technologies. These technologies are transforming how we work, learn, live and play and helping define a future workplace founded on teleworking.
The CEO is responsible for the efficient and effective conduct of the Institute’s business. To assist in this regard, the CEO convenes the Executive Management Committee (EMC), which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Institute. The EMC ensures a high level of management coordination to support the CEO in achieving the Institution’s strategic objectives
CEO
MBA and M.Sc. (Internetworking), B.Comm (Hons)
Suresh is currently leading the Skyline Higher Education Australia (SHEA).
Suresh Basnet is also the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Skyline International College (SIC). He has been in educational leadership roles since 2006 when he established his first training organization, the Australian College of Management & Technology (ACMT).
Since his time with ACMT, Mr Basnet has led and managed the strategic and business operations of several successful training organisations that offer training programs for international students in Australia. This experience enabled him to gain extensive leadership skills and insight into the Tertiary Education, and a deep understanding of the International Student Education within Australia; which was an advantage as he used this to co-found SIC in 2016.
Suresh has worked endlessly to ensure that SIC has the highest academic standards supported by technology-driven quality assurance processes and student learning systems. Through his leadership and direction, SIC has embraced student-focused delivery methodologies that have helped many international students succeed and thrive in Australia.
A highly professional and well-recognised personality in the education sector for his integrity and commitment, Suresh’ ambition is unmatched. And his entrepreneurial and growth mindset paired with his business acumen ensures that students gain more than just an education.
Associate Professor and Dean
PhD (Information Systems), MBA (Professional Accounting), BBus (MIS), SFHEA
Dr Blount’s experience in higher education spans 20 years, designing curricula, teaching and researching information systems. She has extensive expertise in curriculum development of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including business information systems and cybersecurity. She is a Senior Fellow of HEA, which is evidence of her strong contribution to course development, leadership, and mentoring in learning and teaching.
Before academia, she worked in senior management roles in the banking and IT sectors. She is a member of the Association of Information Systems (AIS) and the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM).
Her research interests include anywhere working (hybrid work, telework), supply chain, telehealth, cyber security (cyber governance, management, and ethics), blockchain, and other emerging technologies. These technologies are transforming how we work, learn, live and play and helping define a future workplace founded on teleworking.
