Australia Advisory Board
Advisory body for our Australia business
Robert Lawrence
Principal, Prospect Research and
Marketing
Rob’s understanding of domestic and international education market dynamics, demand and drivers is unparalleled. Each year, he interviews many thousands of students, academics, employers, and opinion leaders, on behalf of universities, governments, schools, institutions and cooperative organizations around the world.
Rob describes his role as projecting future market demand and testing market potential. Much of the work which he undertakes is in an entirely new space. This calls for thorough project mapping and planning, applied creativity, extensive stakeholder consultation, outstanding communication and interpersonal skills and, a rigorous commitment to quality.
Rob has pioneered numerous first-to-market local and global initiatives and, in the process, acquired a deep understanding of diverse regulatory environments, compliance systems, alternative practices, financial due diligence, and reporting systems.
For three decades Rob has worked in 38 countries on projects for the Australian, British, New Zealand, Canadian and Singapore Governments, all of Australia’s State Governments, many peak bodies, over 90 universities around the world; and, countless colleges, schools and institutions.
Over recent years, Rob has worked on research and strategy to inform mobility, employability, accommodation, national and regional brands, online and market positioning strategies for government agencies, universities and professional associations, as well as campus and program feasibility tests in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, UAE, Qatar, Thailand, Philippines, Italy, UK, Canada, and South Africa.
Rob has established close and long-term working relations with associates in China, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, UK, Philippines, Italy, Germany, USA, Canada, and Colombia.
Sarah Todd
Vice President (Global Engagement), Griffith University
Professor Sarah Todd commenced at Griffith in 2013, having previously been with the University of Otago in New Zealand. Professor Todd leads Griffith’s internationalization activities, and has executive level leadership, management and budgetary control over Griffith International. Professor Todd currently serves as President of APAIE (Asia Pacific Association for International Education), Deputy Chair of the Study Gold Coast Board, and is a member of the Queensland Government’s International Education & Training Advisory Group, Universities Australia International and IRU International Committee’s, the International Education Association of Australia, M Square Media International Advisory, and Foundation for Australia-Japan Studies Boards.
Sarah Lightfoot
CEO, UNSW Global, University of New
South Wales
Sarah Lightfoot is the Chief Executive Officer for UNSW Global. UNSW Global Pty Ltd is a subsidiary of UNSW offering pathway (Elicos, Foundation and Diploma) programs in Australia and offshore across 38 TNE partners. Prior to taking on this role, Sarah was chief business development officer for UNSW Global Partnerships, a role which spanned the marketing and sales teams at UNSW Global and UNSW International. She was responsible for leading the recruitment and business development activities to deliver a seamless experience for students, education partners, and schools; and ensuring UNSW is the global university of choice for international students and their parents.
Sarah started her career with a focus on events management, before moving into marketing and ultimately sales. She worked in different sectors before coming into education in 2004, and in 2006, decided to change the direction of her career by completing a Master of International Education. Working in international education combines her passion for education with her skills in sales and marketing.
Sarah has worked across the public and private sectors of Education, working with a number of leading universities in Marketing, International Recruitment and External Relations roles. In her last role, as General Manager of Marketing and Sales at Navitas, the world’s largest university pathway provider, she was responsible for the recruitment, marketing and admissions of 16 colleges and university campuses across Australia, Dubai, New Zealand and Singapore; leading a sales and marketing team across 25 countries. She led a successful business transformation at Navitas where she focused on future-proofing student recruitment channels, resulting in a significant uplift in sales. Prior to that, Sarah managed the Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions for the UNSW Business School.
John Bolton
Senior Strategic Adviser to the Executive Vice President, Futures Deakin University
John is currently the Senior Strategic Adviser to the Executive Vice-President Futures at Deakin University. John has senior leadership experience and regularly engages with local and international stakeholders on a diverse range of University-wide strategic initiatives. John has contributed to developing and implementing the internationalization strategy at Deakin University. In addition, he continues to provide support in fostering new and emerging transnational educational partnerships. Academically, his research is focused on the development of transnational education partnerships since COVID-19 in Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam.