IEAA Admissions and Compliance Forum 2026

Jen is the Executive Director, Regulatory Operations for the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, a role she commenced in January 2025. Most recently, Jen was the Counsellor (Education and Research) to the Australian Embassy, Hanoi, Vietnam, with responsibility to Vietnam and Thailand. Jen has also worked in the sector as the Director for International Education at TAFE Directors Australia, and has a detailed knowledge of Australia’s tertiary education system in domestic and international settings. Jen has previously worked in several positions within the Australian Government, leading policy and program initiatives spanning schools, vocational education and youth engagement. Jen was posted with the Department of Education, Skills and Employment to the Australian Embassies in Beijing and Bangkok, managing the broad bilateral relationship between China and Australia and Thailand and Australia. Jen has also worked in the education sector privately supporting both school and university engagement in China. Jen has lived in Hanoi, Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok, and is passionate about enabling global engagement and exchange in education. Jen completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) at the University of Melbourne. Jen has also worked in the education sector privately supporting both school and university engagement in China. Jen has lived in Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok, and is passionate about enabling global engagement and exchange in education. Jen completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) at the University of Melbourne.

Filiz Block is the ANZ Partner Development Director for Acumen, bringing over two decades of leadership experience in higher education across Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, and Asia. With deep expertise in international admissions operations and student administration systems, Filiz has held key positions including Head of ANZ Admissions and Operations at Study Group and various senior management roles at UNSW Sydney. Her management consulting background with global firms PwC Consulting and IBM Global has established her as a transformation specialist, where she excelled as a business analyst, team leader, and process improvement expert. Filiz has successfully designed and implemented Student Administration, Finance, HR, and CRM systems for a prestigious portfolio of clients including the University of Sydney, Singapore Management University, California State University, University of Adelaide, University of Newcastle, USQ, Qantas, and Merrill Lynch. Filiz holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from UNSW and an MBA(Executive) from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

John Crutchley is a financial services executive with more than two decades of experience spanning retail banking, fintech, and international education. At ANZ Bank, he held the position of Head of International Banking in London, developing deep expertise in migration-linked financial products and cross-border money movement for students and families. Following ANZ, John joined the founding team of Volt Bank — Australia's first challenger bank to hold a full Authorised Deposit-taking Institution licence — where he led the development of international banking infrastructure and contributed to the bank's regulatory build-out. In 2023, John founded Mist with a clear mission: to solve the financial vulnerability that international students face from the moment they commit to studying in Australia. Recognising that existing proof-of-funds methods were unreliable and easily gamed, he led the end-to-end development of the Mist Proof of Funds Account — an ASIC-registered, independently audited trust fund that holds AUD $29,710 in a student's name in Australia, with structured monthly drawdown directly to their own bank account. John is a recognised voice on financial integrity, genuine access to funds, and reducing student hardship as a systemic issue for Australia's international education industry.

Phil Dupont has been with Qualification Check for over eight years and is Head of Business Solutions. Phil works closely with universities, employers, and screening partners to ensure they have the right set-up and the most effective Qualification Check tools for their needs. With his deep knowledge of verification challenges across global education and recruitment, he helps clients configure solutions that improve compliance, efficiency, and the applicant experience.

Anshuman Gautam is an experienced professional in higher education admissions and compliance, specialising in streamlining application processes, risk assessments, and regulatory adherence. With a strong background in managing large-scale enrolment operations, Anshuman has successfully led teams to enhance efficiency, maintain compliance, and support institutional growth. As Director of Service Delivery at Acumen, Anshuman oversees strategic initiatives focused on admissions quality, compliance frameworks, and student enrolment outcomes across multiple markets globally. His expertise lies in optimising operational workflows, ensuring regulatory alignment, and leveraging data-driven insights to improve student enrolment experiences. Throughout his career, Anshuman has collaborated on significant projects with prestigious higher education institutions, including Russell Group universities in the UK and leading Australian, New Zealand and North American institutions. These partnerships have resulted in measurable improvements in international student recruitment, compliance adherence, and operational excellence across multiple continents

An experienced higher education leader with more than 15 years’ experience across domestic and international contexts, Ben is passionate about data driven decision making and using insight to inform policy, improve practice and drive meaningful change. Ben is known for empowering staff to lead and implement change, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and innovation. He works closely with stakeholders to enhance capability, streamline processes and deliver sustainable outcomes in complex operational environments.

Victoria’s career in international education spans the public and private sectors, specializing in global marketing and recruitment, student mobility, English Language, executive management and operations. Victoria’s career began in Canada leading recruitment for Navitas’ two Canadian pathway colleges. Victoria then returned home to Australia and joined Deakin University where she directed Deakin’s global student mobility program. After 5 years at Deakin, Victoria was appointed General Manager, ANZ for Kaplan International Languages. Victoria is now Head of Partnerships at Mist, an innovative fin-tech company that supports students to evidence financial capacity and genuine access to funds requirements to study in Australia.

Anna Kirkham has worked in various managerial positions in international education sector in the last 20 years. She has broad experience in managing international student support services, international compliance, quality assurance, scholarships and has a deep knowledge of the legislative environment of international education. Currently, Anna is International Development and Sponsorships Manager at the University of Sydney.

James Lin is an experienced leader in international admissions at Deakin University, where he leads global admissions operations and works closely across recruitment, admissions, and compliance. He leads a team that’s widely recognised as one of the highest-performing and best practice admissions operations across Australia and New Zealand, with a strong focus on efficiency, turnaround times, and getting the balance right between service and compliance. James is actively involved in sector forums and enjoys sharing practical, real-world insights on admissions processes, risk, and navigating the increasingly complex international student environment.

Hayley McNeel is Deputy Director, Griffith International, with 20 years’ experience in higher education and the public sector. At Griffith, Hayley leads geographically dispersed teams covering international admissions, compliance and finance, whilst also supporting the broader Griffith International objectives. Prior to her appointment at Griffith, Hayley led and managed regional engagement, marketing, recruitment, student mobility, scholarships and partnerships at several Australian universities, covering the broad remits of South and Southeast Asia, the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Pacific. She is an experienced international education practitioner, holding Associate Fellow status with the International Education Association of Australia, and academic qualifications in commerce, international business, and international relations.Hayley McNeel is Deputy Director, Griffith International, with 20 years’ experience in higher education and the public sector. At Griffith, Hayley leads geographically dispersed teams covering international admissions, compliance and finance, whilst also supporting the broader Griffith International objectives. Prior to her appointment at Griffith, Hayley led and managed regional engagement, marketing, recruitment, student mobility, scholarships and partnerships at several Australian universities, covering the broad remits of South and Southeast Asia, the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Pacific. She is an experienced international education practitioner, holding Associate Fellow status with the International Education Association of Australia, and academic qualifications in commerce, international business, and international relations.

Hang is Associate Director, International Admissions and Compliance at Western Sydney University. She has over 20 years of experience in international education, with knowledge of recruitment markets in Australia, South Asia, Middle East and Africa, South East Asia and North Asia. She has previously held roles at EduCo, Curtin and CQ University.

Mark Pettitt has spent 25+ years in education driving innovation and transformation. He has founded and led successful companies delivering breakthroughs in student acquisition, retention, admissions, and agent management. Known for energising complex organisations, Mark simplifies and optimises systems with a keen understanding of EdTech and practical resourcing realities. His work spans pioneering projects in service delivery, large-scale system implementation, and building partnerships that generate tangible results for clients. Throughout his career, he has applied fresh thinking to entrenched challenges, consistently improving outcomes for students, teams, and institutions while championing new approaches, technologies, and strategies.

Eleanor Stewart is currently Assistant Director, Stakeholder Engagement and Communications, Student Program Management, Department of Home Affairs. Eleanor works with stakeholders including peak bodies and education providers to communicate key updates and engage on issues that supports the sector and delivers a student visa program that promotes and strengthens Australia’s security, prosperity and unity. Eleanor has more than 10 years experience working within the Immigration and Home Affairs portfolio across a range of roles in Australia and overseas and has returned in 2025 from posting to China as Senior Migration Officer.