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Executive Management Group
Scott Robertson
Managing Director
Scott Robertson is a seasoned leader with two decades of experience managing international education institutions. As Managing Director of Universal Learning Group, incorporating Universal Higher Education and Universal English, Scott combines strategic vision with operational expertise, honed through years of hands-on leadership in both the Canadian and Australian education sectors, with extensive experience overseeing campus operations.
Before transitioning into education, Scott had a successful career in hospitality and hotel management. His journey began in Switzerland, where he studied hotel management, laying the foundation for his focus on customer service and operational excellence. This background has seamlessly translated into his work in education management, where he creates student-centred environments that ensure students receive a quality education in a supportive and enriching campus life.
Scott has built a reputation for fostering strong learning communities, enhancing student satisfaction, and driving institutional growth. His customer-centric approach has been crucial in aligning educational offerings with student needs, consistently delivering outstanding outcomes.
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Thara Shimoga
Executive Manager
Thara Shimoga is the Executive Manager (Academic Registrar Pro Tem) at Universal Higher Education. She has a master’s degree in Tertiary Education Management from the University of Melbourne. Her areas of interest includes higher education governance, quality assurance, risk, compliance, and policy.
Thara has over 20 years’ experience in the higher education sector holding positions such as lecturer, academic services manager, compliance manager, Governance officer and academic registrar where she was involved in managing support staff, allocating resources, and implementing policy initiatives in the tertiary education sector. She has an excellent understanding of corporate and academic governance principles and practices. Thara is a member of UHE’s Executive Management Committee, Audit and Risk Committee, Academic Board, Teaching and Learning Committee, and various other sub committees of the Academic Board.
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Thara oversee the compliance of UHE in line with the relevant regulations required by TEQSA, the AQF, CRICOS, ESOS Act, HESF (Threshold Standards) 2021 and the course professional accreditation bodies including providing regulatory advice on the corporate and academic governance space.
Professor Shelley Kinash
Chief Academic Officer
Professor Shelley Kinash is an executive leader with over 30 years’ experience in tertiary education. Her substantive position is as Universal Higher Education’s Chief Academic Officer. In addition, she is Chair Academic Board for two other private tertiary education providers, enabling benchmarking and cross-fertilisation. Her ongoing research is practice-based, deriving impact on student voice and equity, and graduate career outcomes.
She is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a Faculty-member of the Australasian Council on Open and Digital Education’s Learning Technologies Leadership Institute. As a teaching academic, she facilitated student learning in educational technology, inclusive education, teacher preparation and community rehabilitation and disability studies. As an executive leader across three Australian universities, she has led institution-wide quality, learning, teaching and student experience. This 360 approach to her career journey enables Professor Kinash to lead joined-up collaboration and communities of practice, facilitating high-quality experiences and outcomes for students, graduates, staff and communities.
Dr. Grace Yan
Director of Governance
Dr. Grace Yan is a highly experienced higher education specialist with over 15 years of leadership in academic governance and compliance within the Australian education sector. Prior to relocating to Australia, she spent 16 years in academia in China, focusing on teaching, course development, and research in cultural studies and bilingual education.
Dr. Yan holds a PhD from Griffith University, and since completing her studies in 2011, she has held several senior roles with various higher education providers, including Dean, Chief Operating Officer, Governance and Compliance Manager, Academic Director, and Admissions and Academic Services Manager.
With significant expertise in governance and risk management, Dr. Yan has successfully led key projects such as TEQSA re-registration, course accreditation and re-accreditation, and the development of institutional frameworks for quality assurance and risk mitigation. Her in-depth regulatory knowledge, coupled with her hands-on experience in institutional operations, enables her to expertly navigate complex compliance landscapes, driving operational excellence and institutional success.