Leadership – a key focus for this year’s Australian International Education Conference

The conference will provide a platform to showcase the people, practices and nations that are driving change

‘Leading the way’ will be the key focus for the Australian International Education Conference (AIEC) in Perth this year.

Hosted by IDP Education and the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), the conference will explore how sectoral and industry leaders navigate through increasing disruption, technological developments, policy changes, and changes in international student demand.

The conference will provide a platform for leading experts to showcase the people, practices and nations that are driving change and showing leadership in the sector through new approaches to international education, technology and research.

Through in-depth workshops, panel discussions, presentations, plenary sessions and networking events, attendees will discover who is leading the industry, what skills and qualities they possess, how we can forge greater collaboration within the industry and how we can best equip students and colleagues to become leaders.

The conference program will officially commence on Wednesday 16 October with the plenary featuring keynote speaker, Fred Swaniker.

Fred is the co-founder of two organisations that aim to help foster a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial African leaders: the African Leadership Academy and African Leadership Network. In his keynote, Fred will discuss how instilling leadership qualities in the next generation helps to drive change.

Thursday’s plenary will feature The Hon. Kim Beazley AC. The Hon. Kim Beazley AC is Western Australia’s 33rd Governor. Prior to this role, Kim had dedicated almost three decades to a career in Federal Parliament. He will discuss how leadership has been a pivotal trait in his career.

On Friday, the plenary will be led by Former Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, The Hon. Julie Bishop. The Hon. Julie Bishop will discuss international education for future leadership before taking part in a Q&A session, facilitated by Times Higher Education Asia-Pacific Editor, John Ross.

The Hon. Julie Bishop served as Australia’s first female Minister for Foreign Affairs and the first female Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party.

Other key program highlights include: 

A new nation brand for Australia

A strong nation brand defines our aesthetic as a nation and provides a set of guiding principles that govern the expression of our identity. Chaired by Austrade Senior Industry Specialist International Education, Rebecca Hall, this session will explore Australia’s new nation brand and what it means for the marketing and promotion of Australia’s international education sector.

Speakers: Austrade, Head of Australia’s Nation Brand, Fiona de Jong, StudyAdelaide, CEO, Karyn Kent and Navitas Limited, Chairman, Rod James

 Future directions in Australian international education: a government perspective

This session will bring together senior representatives from the Australian Government Department of Education and Austrade to discuss future directions and how the government is leading work to support providers and deliver on the National Strategy for International Education.  

Speakers: Austrade, Senior Industry Specialist International Education, Rebecca Hall and Australian Government Department of Education, Group Manager International, Karen Sandercock

International education’s response to the climate crisis

This session will discuss how institutions around the globe are taking steps to reduce their operating emissions and the opportunities that the climate crisis presents as a platform to engage students and build employability skills.

Speakers: Pomegranate Global, Director, Ailsa Lamont, Times Higher Education, Chief Data Officer, Duncan Ross and University of Tasmania, Sustainability Manager, Corey Peterson

For more information and to register to attend, visit aiec.idp.com