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Structure and Governance

Organisational Structure

Organisational Structure

Global Leadership Institute is fully accredited with the national higher education regulator, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), to whom we report regularly. Thus, our standards are equivalent to those of any other duly authorised higher education provider in the nation.

Solicitor Joel Pitman

Chair, Governing Board

Bio

Pastor Chirs Aiton

Director

Bio

Professor Harvinder Singh

External Chair, Academic Board

Bio

Mr Tristan Brown

Chair, Finance and Budget Committee External Member

Bio

Dr Adewuyi Ayodele Adeyinka

Digital Research Analyst

Bio

Anoma-Ariyawardana

Assistant Professor

Bio

Dr Bruce Mortimer

Senior Lecturer

Bio

Dr David Ponton

Senior Lecturer

Bio

Dr Asif Saeed

Web Designer

Bio

Rev. Professor Bernard Malik

Founder

Bio

Organisational Structure

Global Leadership Institute is fully accredited with the national higher education regulator, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), to whom we report regularly. Thus, our standards are equivalent to those of any other duly authorised higher education provider in the nation.

Solicitor Joel Pitman

Chair, Governing Board

Pastor Chirs Aiton

Director

Professor Harvinder Singh

External Chair, Academic Board

Mr Tristan Brown

Chair, Finance and Budget Committee External Member

Dr Adewuyi Ayodele Adeyinka

Digital Research Analyst

Anoma-Ariyawardana

Assistant Professor

Dr Bruce Mortimer

Senior Lecturer

Dr David Ponton

Senior Lecturer

Dr Asif Saeed

Web Designer

Rev. Professor Bernard Malik

Founder

Organisational Structure

Global Leadership Institute is fully accredited with the national higher education regulator, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), to whom we report regularly. Thus, our standards are equivalent to those of any other duly authorised higher education provider in the nation.

Solicitor Joel Pitman

Chair, Governing Board

Bio

Pastor Chirs Aiton

Director

Bio

Professor Harvinder Singh

External Chair, Academic Board

Bio

Mr Tristan Brown

Chair, Finance and Budget Committee External Member

Bio

Dr Adewuyi Ayodele Adeyinka

Digital Research Analyst

Bio

Anoma-Ariyawardana

Assistant Professor

Bio

Dr Bruce Mortimer

Senior Lecturer

Bio

Dr David Ponton

Senior Lecturer

Bio

Dr Asif Saeed

Web Designer

Bio

Rev. Professor Bernard Malik

Founder

Bio
Close

Solicitor Joel Pitman

Solicitor Joel Pitman is Director of Morgan Conley Solutions, Lucas’ Pawpaw Remedies, and The Lucas’ Pawpaw Foundation. He is a Member of the Queensland Society and has been admitted as a registered practitioner by The Supreme Court of Queensland and The High Court of Australia. He also serves on Leaders Institute Governing Board and is Chair of its Risk Management Committee.

Close

Pastor Chirs Aiton

Pastor Chris Aiton leads teams of expatriates in the Philippines involved in church leadership, as well as the relief and development sectors. He is former Senior Pastor and CEO of Gateway Church in Brisbane (2002-2022) and has served on a several boards in the not-for-profit sector in Australia and abroad. He also serves as Chair of Leaders Institute Governing Board.

Close

Professor Harvinder Singh

Professor Harvinder Singh has been an academic for nearly two decades with strong teaching and research expertise in informatics, traditional and molecular plant breeding approaches for the improvement and management of cereal crops, and medicinal plants. He has published over 50 research articles in peer reviewed journals, books and conference proceedings. He also presented his research at national and international conferences. He has successfully secured and completed many research grants. Additionally, in his current role as Leaders Institute Postgraduate Program Director, he has demonstrated strong academic management and higher education compliance knowledge and capability. Prof Singh also has a strong Research and Higher Degree supervision experience.

 

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi-Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), India, 2010
  • Master of Engineering, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture &Technology, Kanpur, India, 2000
  • Master of Science, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture &Technology, Kanpur, India, 2000
  • Bachelor of Science, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture &Technology, Kanpur, India, 1998

 

Corporate and Academic Leadership

  • Member, Executive Management Team, Leaders Institute, 2022-current
  • Deputy Chair of Academic Board, Leaders Institute, 2023-current
  • Member, Course Advisory Committee for Agribusiness, Leaders Institute, 2017-current
  • Distinguished Visiting Professor, Prestige Institute of Engineering Management and Research, India, 2022
  • Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Optimisation, Torrens University, 2022

 

Communities of Practice

Member, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA)

Member, The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA)

Member, Agribusiness Australia

Member, American Society of Plant Biology

Member: American Society of Agronomy

Member, Crop Science Society of America

Member, Soil Science Society of Americ

 

External Expert Reviewer for Academic Journals

BMC Theoretical Biology and medical modeling

Bio Med Central

Journal of Biomedical Research

Elsevier

African Journal of Biotechnology

Academic Press

International Research Journals of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

Turkish Journal of Botany

Close

Mr Tristan Brown

Mr Tristan Brown has over 25 years of experience in public and private finance and audit sectors. He has worked as a financial consultant to listed multinational companies, performing operational reviews within varied industry, assurance reviews, due diligence, business transformation, and specialised client advisory services. In Commonwealth government departments, he has overseen compliance, process assurance, internal audit, and data analysis. While consulting with Ernst & Young, Tristan led the largest client agencies engagements, coordinating and monitoring performance, reporting and trend analysis, to facilitate high quality measurement effectiveness of government programs. He has also served in the Queensland Audit Office where he was involved leading governance assessments, compliance reviews and financial assurance. 

Working for the Australian National Audit Office from 2019 in Canberra in large public sector entities, he managed professionally and at a high level technical, analytical and people matters in Commonwealth assurance engagements. Currently, Tristan is involved in Department of Health & Aged Care governance and ethical delivery of the Department’s aged care program management and reporting standards, through application of the Commonwealth Fraud Control Framework. His results have been articulated in the annual appropriation Acts and the portfolio budget statements.

Close

Dr Adewuyi Ayodele Adeyinka

Dr Adewuyi Ayodele Adeyinka has worked as an analyst in the banking industry and as a Digital Research Analyst at the University of Southern Queensland and Southern Cross University, in addition to lecturing and conducting research in finance. Dr Adeyinka specialises in the application of index-based risk transfer product in agriculture and has worked as a consultant to the World Meteorological Organization in this field. He has more than 20 years of experience in teaching, research, and consulting across Africa and Australia.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Business Administration

Master of Education

Postgraduate Diploma in Statistics

Bachelor of Science Education

Close

Anoma-Ariyawardana

Associate Professor Anoma Ariyawardana is Agribusiness Program Director at Leaders Institute. Previously she held the position of Senior Lecturer in Agribusiness at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia. In 2019, she became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. Prior to her tenure in Australia, she contributed to the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Associate Professor Ariyawardana has been honoured with prestigious Fulbright and Endeavour Research Fellowships, conducting agribusiness research at esteemed institutions such as Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, USA, the University of Queensland, Australia, and the University of Kent, UK, where she served as a Visiting Research Fellow. Her extensive publication record includes contributions to high-ranking journals, and she has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, including PhDs.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Science (Agriculture)

Graduate Certificate in Higher Education

Bachelor of Science (Agriculture)

Licentiate Part I and II, Institute of Chartered Accountants

Close

Dr Bruce Mortimer

Dr Bruce Mortimer is Founding Director of Bruce Mortimer and Associates which delivers strategic planning, research and business advisory services specialising climate change adaptation, in water, resource management and education. He has almost 30 years of experience at cutting edge of designing and implementing reform for climate change adaptation, urban water supply, local government accountability, education and schooling, Indigenous education reforms, and policing

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Social Planning and Development

Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science)

Diploma of Education (Mathematics)

Close

Dr David Ponton

Dr David Ponton has extensive industry experience in executive management. He also lectures at Leaders Institute, Torrens University, and Griffith University.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Bachelor of Business (Hotel Management) (Honours I)

Close

Dr Asif Saeed

Dr Asif Saeed lectures in business, economics, project management, statistics at Leaders Institute and Federation university Australia. Previously, he spent almost 17 years in senior academic leadership at Government College University, Lahore in Pakistan.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Philosophy (Economics)

Master of Arts (Economics)

Bachelor of Arts

Close

Rev. Professor Bernard Malik

Rev. Professor Bernard Malik is a visionary education leader, global humanitarian, and transformational institution builder. He is the President and Founder of Leaders Institute and Founder of American College, shaping future-ready leadership across disciplines. He also founded the International Open University in Meghalaya, legislated to expand access to education for marginalised women and disadvantaged communities.

With over three decades in international education, his impact spans Australia, Africa, India, and Papua New Guinea. A lifelong advocate for equity, he has led numerous charities championing social justice, faith communities, and minority empowerment. His organisations have worked to uplift vulnerable populations, defend human dignity, and promote educational opportunity as a pathway out of poverty.

He served nearly a decade as an NGO representative to the United Nations, amplifying the voices of the overlooked on the global stage. Recognised for leadership beyond borders, he serves as Special Envoy for Education, Trade and Investment to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. His service and humanitarian contributions earned him knighthood in the Order of the Knights of Rizal of the Philippines.

Rev. Professor Malik’s life mission remains clear: education, leadership, and compassion as instruments for nation-building and global transformation.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, Faith Theological Seminary, 1996

Master of Business Administration, Global Open University, 2011

Master of Divinity, Faith Theological Seminary, May 1994

Master of Science in Counselling, Global Open University, 2011

Graduate Diploma in Teaching English as a Second Language, Australian Institute of Training and Education, 2009

Bachelor of Education, Garu Nanak Dev University, 1991

Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, RAM Training Services, 2014

 

Professional Leadership and Social Engagement

  • President, Federation of Indian Christian Organizations in the North America
  • President, FOA Delaware Franchise Owners Association
  • Director – International Foundation of Minority Empowerment and Global Friendship
  • Director – Organization for Eradication of Illiteracy and Poverty
  • Director – Business Connections International
  • Founder and CEO – TV Asia Australia
  • Founder, ‘Feed the Hunger’ campaign
  • Founder – Global Women Empowerment
  • Founder – Daughters of Kashmir – Our Pride

 

Communities of Practice

  • RABQSA (Aged Care Assessor Registration)
  • Member of Australian Institute of Management
  • Member of Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI)
  • Member of Australian Marketing Institute
  • Member – The Australia Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability
  • Member – The Queensland Disability Interagency Network
  • Member – Commerce Queensland
  • Member – Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America
Close

Solicitor Joel Pitman

Solicitor Joel Pitman is Director of Morgan Conley Solutions, Lucas’ Pawpaw Remedies, and The Lucas’ Pawpaw Foundation. He is a Member of the Queensland Society and has been admitted as a registered practitioner by The Supreme Court of Queensland and The High Court of Australia. He also serves on Leaders Institute Governing Board and is Chair of its Risk Management Committee.

Close

Pastor Chirs Aiton

Pastor Chris Aiton leads teams of expatriates in the Philippines involved in church leadership, as well as the relief and development sectors. He is former Senior Pastor and CEO of Gateway Church in Brisbane (2002-2022) and has served on a several boards in the not-for-profit sector in Australia and abroad. He also serves as Chair of Leaders Institute Governing Board.

Close

Professor Harvinder Singh

Professor Harvinder Singh has been an academic for nearly two decades with strong teaching and research expertise in informatics, traditional and molecular plant breeding approaches for the improvement and management of cereal crops, and medicinal plants. He has published over 50 research articles in peer reviewed journals, books and conference proceedings. He also presented his research at national and international conferences. He has successfully secured and completed many research grants. Additionally, in his current role as Leaders Institute Postgraduate Program Director, he has demonstrated strong academic management and higher education compliance knowledge and capability. Prof Singh also has a strong Research and Higher Degree supervision experience.

 

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi-Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), India, 2010
  • Master of Engineering, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture &Technology, Kanpur, India, 2000
  • Master of Science, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture &Technology, Kanpur, India, 2000
  • Bachelor of Science, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture &Technology, Kanpur, India, 1998

 

Corporate and Academic Leadership

  • Member, Executive Management Team, Leaders Institute, 2022-current
  • Deputy Chair of Academic Board, Leaders Institute, 2023-current
  • Member, Course Advisory Committee for Agribusiness, Leaders Institute, 2017-current
  • Distinguished Visiting Professor, Prestige Institute of Engineering Management and Research, India, 2022
  • Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Optimisation, Torrens University, 2022

 

Communities of Practice

Member, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA)

Member, The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA)

Member, Agribusiness Australia

Member, American Society of Plant Biology

Member: American Society of Agronomy

Member, Crop Science Society of America

Member, Soil Science Society of Americ

 

External Expert Reviewer for Academic Journals

BMC Theoretical Biology and medical modeling

Bio Med Central

Journal of Biomedical Research

Elsevier

African Journal of Biotechnology

Academic Press

International Research Journals of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

Turkish Journal of Botany

Close

Mr Tristan Brown

Mr Tristan Brown has over 25 years of experience in public and private finance and audit sectors. He has worked as a financial consultant to listed multinational companies, performing operational reviews within varied industry, assurance reviews, due diligence, business transformation, and specialised client advisory services. In Commonwealth government departments, he has overseen compliance, process assurance, internal audit, and data analysis. While consulting with Ernst & Young, Tristan led the largest client agencies engagements, coordinating and monitoring performance, reporting and trend analysis, to facilitate high quality measurement effectiveness of government programs. He has also served in the Queensland Audit Office where he was involved leading governance assessments, compliance reviews and financial assurance. 

Working for the Australian National Audit Office from 2019 in Canberra in large public sector entities, he managed professionally and at a high level technical, analytical and people matters in Commonwealth assurance engagements. Currently, Tristan is involved in Department of Health & Aged Care governance and ethical delivery of the Department’s aged care program management and reporting standards, through application of the Commonwealth Fraud Control Framework. His results have been articulated in the annual appropriation Acts and the portfolio budget statements.

Close

Dr Adewuyi Ayodele Adeyinka

Dr Adewuyi Ayodele Adeyinka has worked as an analyst in the banking industry and as a Digital Research Analyst at the University of Southern Queensland and Southern Cross University, in addition to lecturing and conducting research in finance. Dr Adeyinka specialises in the application of index-based risk transfer product in agriculture and has worked as a consultant to the World Meteorological Organization in this field. He has more than 20 years of experience in teaching, research, and consulting across Africa and Australia.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Business Administration

Master of Education

Postgraduate Diploma in Statistics

Bachelor of Science Education

Close

Anoma-Ariyawardana

Associate Professor Anoma Ariyawardana is Agribusiness Program Director at Leaders Institute. Previously she held the position of Senior Lecturer in Agribusiness at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia. In 2019, she became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. Prior to her tenure in Australia, she contributed to the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Associate Professor Ariyawardana has been honoured with prestigious Fulbright and Endeavour Research Fellowships, conducting agribusiness research at esteemed institutions such as Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, USA, the University of Queensland, Australia, and the University of Kent, UK, where she served as a Visiting Research Fellow. Her extensive publication record includes contributions to high-ranking journals, and she has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, including PhDs.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Science (Agriculture)

Graduate Certificate in Higher Education

Bachelor of Science (Agriculture)

Licentiate Part I and II, Institute of Chartered Accountants

Close

Dr Bruce Mortimer

Dr Bruce Mortimer is Founding Director of Bruce Mortimer and Associates which delivers strategic planning, research and business advisory services specialising climate change adaptation, in water, resource management and education. He has almost 30 years of experience at cutting edge of designing and implementing reform for climate change adaptation, urban water supply, local government accountability, education and schooling, Indigenous education reforms, and policing

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Social Planning and Development

Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science)

Diploma of Education (Mathematics)

Close

Dr David Ponton

Dr David Ponton has extensive industry experience in executive management. He also lectures at Leaders Institute, Torrens University, and Griffith University.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Bachelor of Business (Hotel Management) (Honours I)

Close

Dr Asif Saeed

Dr Asif Saeed lectures in business, economics, project management, statistics at Leaders Institute and Federation university Australia. Previously, he spent almost 17 years in senior academic leadership at Government College University, Lahore in Pakistan.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Philosophy (Economics)

Master of Arts (Economics)

Bachelor of Arts

Close

Rev. Professor Bernard Malik

Rev. Professor Bernard Malik is a visionary education leader, global humanitarian, and transformational institution builder. He is the President and Founder of Leaders Institute and Founder of American College, shaping future-ready leadership across disciplines. He also founded the International Open University in Meghalaya, legislated to expand access to education for marginalised women and disadvantaged communities.

With over three decades in international education, his impact spans Australia, Africa, India, and Papua New Guinea. A lifelong advocate for equity, he has led numerous charities championing social justice, faith communities, and minority empowerment. His organisations have worked to uplift vulnerable populations, defend human dignity, and promote educational opportunity as a pathway out of poverty.

He served nearly a decade as an NGO representative to the United Nations, amplifying the voices of the overlooked on the global stage. Recognised for leadership beyond borders, he serves as Special Envoy for Education, Trade and Investment to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. His service and humanitarian contributions earned him knighthood in the Order of the Knights of Rizal of the Philippines.

Rev. Professor Malik’s life mission remains clear: education, leadership, and compassion as instruments for nation-building and global transformation.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, Faith Theological Seminary, 1996

Master of Business Administration, Global Open University, 2011

Master of Divinity, Faith Theological Seminary, May 1994

Master of Science in Counselling, Global Open University, 2011

Graduate Diploma in Teaching English as a Second Language, Australian Institute of Training and Education, 2009

Bachelor of Education, Garu Nanak Dev University, 1991

Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, RAM Training Services, 2014

 

Professional Leadership and Social Engagement

  • President, Federation of Indian Christian Organizations in the North America
  • President, FOA Delaware Franchise Owners Association
  • Director – International Foundation of Minority Empowerment and Global Friendship
  • Director – Organization for Eradication of Illiteracy and Poverty
  • Director – Business Connections International
  • Founder and CEO – TV Asia Australia
  • Founder, ‘Feed the Hunger’ campaign
  • Founder – Global Women Empowerment
  • Founder – Daughters of Kashmir – Our Pride

 

Communities of Practice

  • RABQSA (Aged Care Assessor Registration)
  • Member of Australian Institute of Management
  • Member of Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI)
  • Member of Australian Marketing Institute
  • Member – The Australia Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability
  • Member – The Queensland Disability Interagency Network
  • Member – Commerce Queensland
  • Member – Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America
Close

Solicitor Joel Pitman

Solicitor Joel Pitman is Director of Morgan Conley Solutions, Lucas’ Pawpaw Remedies, and The Lucas’ Pawpaw Foundation. He is a Member of the Queensland Society and has been admitted as a registered practitioner by The Supreme Court of Queensland and The High Court of Australia. He also serves on Leaders Institute Governing Board and is Chair of its Risk Management Committee.

Close

Pastor Chirs Aiton

Pastor Chris Aiton leads teams of expatriates in the Philippines involved in church leadership, as well as the relief and development sectors. He is former Senior Pastor and CEO of Gateway Church in Brisbane (2002-2022) and has served on a several boards in the not-for-profit sector in Australia and abroad. He also serves as Chair of Leaders Institute Governing Board.

Close

Professor Harvinder Singh

Professor Harvinder Singh has been an academic for nearly two decades with strong teaching and research expertise in informatics, traditional and molecular plant breeding approaches for the improvement and management of cereal crops, and medicinal plants. He has published over 50 research articles in peer reviewed journals, books and conference proceedings. He also presented his research at national and international conferences. He has successfully secured and completed many research grants. Additionally, in his current role as Leaders Institute Postgraduate Program Director, he has demonstrated strong academic management and higher education compliance knowledge and capability. Prof Singh also has a strong Research and Higher Degree supervision experience.

 

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi-Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), India, 2010
  • Master of Engineering, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture &Technology, Kanpur, India, 2000
  • Master of Science, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture &Technology, Kanpur, India, 2000
  • Bachelor of Science, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture &Technology, Kanpur, India, 1998

 

Corporate and Academic Leadership

  • Member, Executive Management Team, Leaders Institute, 2022-current
  • Deputy Chair of Academic Board, Leaders Institute, 2023-current
  • Member, Course Advisory Committee for Agribusiness, Leaders Institute, 2017-current
  • Distinguished Visiting Professor, Prestige Institute of Engineering Management and Research, India, 2022
  • Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Optimisation, Torrens University, 2022

 

Communities of Practice

Member, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA)

Member, The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA)

Member, Agribusiness Australia

Member, American Society of Plant Biology

Member: American Society of Agronomy

Member, Crop Science Society of America

Member, Soil Science Society of Americ

 

External Expert Reviewer for Academic Journals

BMC Theoretical Biology and medical modeling

Bio Med Central

Journal of Biomedical Research

Elsevier

African Journal of Biotechnology

Academic Press

International Research Journals of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

Turkish Journal of Botany

Close

Mr Tristan Brown

Mr Tristan Brown has over 25 years of experience in public and private finance and audit sectors. He has worked as a financial consultant to listed multinational companies, performing operational reviews within varied industry, assurance reviews, due diligence, business transformation, and specialised client advisory services. In Commonwealth government departments, he has overseen compliance, process assurance, internal audit, and data analysis. While consulting with Ernst & Young, Tristan led the largest client agencies engagements, coordinating and monitoring performance, reporting and trend analysis, to facilitate high quality measurement effectiveness of government programs. He has also served in the Queensland Audit Office where he was involved leading governance assessments, compliance reviews and financial assurance. 

Working for the Australian National Audit Office from 2019 in Canberra in large public sector entities, he managed professionally and at a high level technical, analytical and people matters in Commonwealth assurance engagements. Currently, Tristan is involved in Department of Health & Aged Care governance and ethical delivery of the Department’s aged care program management and reporting standards, through application of the Commonwealth Fraud Control Framework. His results have been articulated in the annual appropriation Acts and the portfolio budget statements.

Close

Dr Adewuyi Ayodele Adeyinka

Dr Adewuyi Ayodele Adeyinka has worked as an analyst in the banking industry and as a Digital Research Analyst at the University of Southern Queensland and Southern Cross University, in addition to lecturing and conducting research in finance. Dr Adeyinka specialises in the application of index-based risk transfer product in agriculture and has worked as a consultant to the World Meteorological Organization in this field. He has more than 20 years of experience in teaching, research, and consulting across Africa and Australia.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Business Administration

Master of Education

Postgraduate Diploma in Statistics

Bachelor of Science Education

Close

Anoma-Ariyawardana

Associate Professor Anoma Ariyawardana is Agribusiness Program Director at Leaders Institute. Previously she held the position of Senior Lecturer in Agribusiness at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia. In 2019, she became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. Prior to her tenure in Australia, she contributed to the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Associate Professor Ariyawardana has been honoured with prestigious Fulbright and Endeavour Research Fellowships, conducting agribusiness research at esteemed institutions such as Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, USA, the University of Queensland, Australia, and the University of Kent, UK, where she served as a Visiting Research Fellow. Her extensive publication record includes contributions to high-ranking journals, and she has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, including PhDs.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Science (Agriculture)

Graduate Certificate in Higher Education

Bachelor of Science (Agriculture)

Licentiate Part I and II, Institute of Chartered Accountants

Close

Dr Bruce Mortimer

Dr Bruce Mortimer is Founding Director of Bruce Mortimer and Associates which delivers strategic planning, research and business advisory services specialising climate change adaptation, in water, resource management and education. He has almost 30 years of experience at cutting edge of designing and implementing reform for climate change adaptation, urban water supply, local government accountability, education and schooling, Indigenous education reforms, and policing

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Social Planning and Development

Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science)

Diploma of Education (Mathematics)

Close

Dr David Ponton

Dr David Ponton has extensive industry experience in executive management. He also lectures at Leaders Institute, Torrens University, and Griffith University.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Bachelor of Business (Hotel Management) (Honours I)

Close

Dr Asif Saeed

Dr Asif Saeed lectures in business, economics, project management, statistics at Leaders Institute and Federation university Australia. Previously, he spent almost 17 years in senior academic leadership at Government College University, Lahore in Pakistan.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Philosophy (Economics)

Master of Arts (Economics)

Bachelor of Arts

Close

Rev. Professor Bernard Malik

Rev. Professor Bernard Malik is a visionary education leader, global humanitarian, and transformational institution builder. He is the President and Founder of Leaders Institute and Founder of American College, shaping future-ready leadership across disciplines. He also founded the International Open University in Meghalaya, legislated to expand access to education for marginalised women and disadvantaged communities.

With over three decades in international education, his impact spans Australia, Africa, India, and Papua New Guinea. A lifelong advocate for equity, he has led numerous charities championing social justice, faith communities, and minority empowerment. His organisations have worked to uplift vulnerable populations, defend human dignity, and promote educational opportunity as a pathway out of poverty.

He served nearly a decade as an NGO representative to the United Nations, amplifying the voices of the overlooked on the global stage. Recognised for leadership beyond borders, he serves as Special Envoy for Education, Trade and Investment to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. His service and humanitarian contributions earned him knighthood in the Order of the Knights of Rizal of the Philippines.

Rev. Professor Malik’s life mission remains clear: education, leadership, and compassion as instruments for nation-building and global transformation.

 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, Faith Theological Seminary, 1996

Master of Business Administration, Global Open University, 2011

Master of Divinity, Faith Theological Seminary, May 1994

Master of Science in Counselling, Global Open University, 2011

Graduate Diploma in Teaching English as a Second Language, Australian Institute of Training and Education, 2009

Bachelor of Education, Garu Nanak Dev University, 1991

Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, RAM Training Services, 2014

 

Professional Leadership and Social Engagement

  • President, Federation of Indian Christian Organizations in the North America
  • President, FOA Delaware Franchise Owners Association
  • Director – International Foundation of Minority Empowerment and Global Friendship
  • Director – Organization for Eradication of Illiteracy and Poverty
  • Director – Business Connections International
  • Founder and CEO – TV Asia Australia
  • Founder, ‘Feed the Hunger’ campaign
  • Founder – Global Women Empowerment
  • Founder – Daughters of Kashmir – Our Pride

 

Communities of Practice

  • RABQSA (Aged Care Assessor Registration)
  • Member of Australian Institute of Management
  • Member of Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI)
  • Member of Australian Marketing Institute
  • Member – The Australia Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability
  • Member – The Queensland Disability Interagency Network
  • Member – Commerce Queensland
  • Member – Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America
Close

Associate Professor Jason Hartley

Jason Hartley is lecturer in criminology at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. He is a former police officer with 23 years of experience, and has trained personnel for deployment in Timor Leste, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan. Jason specializes in, and has published on engagement with Muslim communities, Indigenous Polynesian approaches to rehabilitation and reducing recidivism, and Asian Organised Crime. Jason also completed a community internship in Hebron on the West Bank.

Close

Professor Grant Pitman

Professor Grant Pitman is the president of the Global Leadership Institute. He has held senior leadership roles in government such as Chief Superintendent of Police and Director of Strategic Planning ICT in the Queensland Police Service;

  • Varied list of contributions to law enforcement, including disaster management, auditing and finance, organizational reform, education and human resources, and policy development
  • National, state, and regional levels of professional service, including the Ipswich Economic Forum, the Brisbane Airport Emergency Planning Committee, the National Emergency Communications Working Group, the National Police Drug and Alcohol Task Force, and the Police Education Advisory Council.

He has a Ph.D. and Master of Administration from Griffith University. He is a well-versed researcher and has published numerous articles and journals.

Close

Professor Kevin Tickle

Professor Kevin Tickle has extensive experience in Executive Management roles in the tertiary education sector, both public and private, over the last two decades and has been a consultant to Higher Education providers in Australia and overseas. His primary areas of interest are Leadership, Management, Information Technology, Mathematics and Statistics with expertise in the areas of probability modelling; decision support, and data analytics. He is currently a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, a member of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, the Australian Computer Society and an Emeritus Professor at CQUniversity.

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Mr Des Lacy OAM

Des serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the Asia Pacific Chapter of FBI National Academy Associates, after completing 40 years in the Queensland Police Service. During his distinguished career, Des was District Officer (A/Chief Superintendent) in Charge of the Gold Coast Police District, Police Commander for the Gold Coast Indy, Super V8s, Gold Coast Marathon, and Schoolies, as well as National Rugby League and Australian Foot League events in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Des oversaw development and implementation of the Integrated Justice Information Systems, Integrated Traffic Policing Program, and Integrated Tasking and Analysis System. He served as Director of the Strategic Services Branch and Information and Communications Technology Command, as well as Chair of the District Disaster Management Group and Security Operations Coordinator for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. 

Des has been a member of Rotary International for 30 years, representing Rotary International in the United States and the Middle East. For his work in the Gold Coast Community Des was awarded Citizen of the Year at the 2013 Gold Coast Australia Day celebrations. Des also was one of the founding Directors for the Oxenford and Coomera Community Youth Centre that provides much needed social services to the Northern Gold Coast Community. For the past 15 years, he has also been the Chair of this not-for-profit establishment. It. For his work promoting International Law Enforcement Des was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2017.

Qualifications

Graduate Diploma of Management

Graduate Certificate Business Management 

Bachelor of Business

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Dr Shantanu Banerjee

Dr Shantanu Banerjee is senior lecturer at Leaders Institute. With extensive experience in management, leadership, and administration across a range of contexts in India and Australia, Dr Banerjee is also currently an Industry Fellow at the University of Queensland Business School. His research focuses on socio-cultural-political contexts, particularly in the field of agribusiness and international business. His research has highlighted variations in the theme of international competitiveness by emphasising non-economic and non-market variables and on how multinational enterprises subsidiaries can pursue legitimacy pursuing non-market strategies. 

Dr Banerjee has presented his research work at esteemed international conferences such as ANZIBA and EIA and has published in scholarly journals including International Business Review and Management International Review. He graduated from the Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi (India) and the University of Queensland Business School. He has been an academic staff member at the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology, lecturing in undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Dr Banerjee has over 15 years of extensive and varied experience as an International Business Manager dealing and negotiating with overseas clients based in the United States of America, China, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, and Germany. He is currently employed with a Federal agency of the Australian Treasury. 

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Queensland, 2012

Master of Research, Queensland University of Technology, 2005

Master of Business, Queensland University of Technology, 2003

Postgraduate Diploma in International Trade, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, 1986

Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, 1985

 

Communities of Practice

  • Editorial Board, Academy of International Business
  • Editorial Board, European Academy of Management
  • Editorial Board, Leadership & Management Studies in Sub-Sahara Africa Conference
  • Editorial Board, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business
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Associate Professor Ben Arachi

BIOGRAPHY

Associate Professor Ben Arachi has four decades (1977-2023) of experience in higher education leadership and teaching. During his 15 years as Unit Coordinator at Central Queensland University, he received two Excellence in Teaching Awards and was nominated for the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Learning and Teaching and the Australian Awards for University Teaching. His online learning study was published in Economics for Today (Cengage 2022).

Previously, Associate Professor Arachi  served as Vice Principal, Head of the Department of Extension and Research, and Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal at Arul Anandar College, India (1992-1997). He was then Research Coordinator and Course Coordinator (1999-2008), as well as Chair of the Division of Economics (2000-2005) at HELP University, Malaysia. This included senior involvement in the application to become a University College and then a full University.

Associate Professor Arachi also has over 20 years of experience as a higher degree research supervisor, moderator, and examiner for doctoral degrees. In his five years as a Coordinator of All India Christian Higher Education, he organised numerous state-level seminars and workshops for academics in higher education in India. He has published four monographs, many research papers and articles while editing the Research AAC Journal of Economics. He has reviewed many higher education textbooks.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Madursi Kamaraj University, India, 1989

  • Master of Arts, University of Madras, 1975 (Gold Medalist)

  • Bachelor of Arts, Madursi Kamaraj University, India, 1973 (University Rank and Merit Scholarship)

  • Diploma in Applied Economics, Madursi Kamaraj University, India, 1980

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP

  • Member, Academic Board, 2023-current

  • Chair, Examiners Committe, 2023-current

  • Member, Course Advisory Committee, 2022-current

AWARDS

  • Central Queensland University Student Voice Commendation. The 2021 program includes unit evaluation data from term 3, 2020 and terms 1 and 2, 2021.

  • Central Queensland University  Student Voice Commendation. The 2020 program includes unit evaluation data from term 3, 2019 and terms 1 and 2, 2020.

  • Central Queensland University Central Queensland University Platinum certificate Top rated Unit in Term 2, 2019

  • Central Queensland University Gold certificate Highly rated Unit in Term 2,2019 (ACCT20070)

  • Gold certificate Highly rated Unit in Term 2,2019 from CQU(ECON11026)

  • Charles Sturt University Excellence in Teaching Award (ECO511)

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Dr Bandula Nambukara-Gamage

Dr Bandula Nambukara-Gamage is a Senior Lecturer of Accounting and Finance at James Cook University, Brisbane campus. He currently teaches Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Accounting, Master of Professional Accounting, and Master of Business Administration students based on the Brisbane campus. Dr Nambukara-Gamage has previously lectured at Central Queensland University, Federation University, and Charles Darwin University.

QUALIFICATIONS

Doctor of Philosophy, University of New England, 2013

Master of Commerce

Licentiate Certificate (recognised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia)

Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours)

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Professor Rod St Hill

Professor Rodney St Hill is the former President of Leaders Institute (2018-2020) and serves as Senior Pastor (2016-current) at IgniteLife Church Gold Coast, where he heads IgniteLife Business, an outreach to Christians in business. He is a leader in the global Business As Mission movement. He also consults on governance and executive management in higher education and business, with a particular special interest in Christian education institutions and businesses.

Previously, Professor St Hill was a long-term senior leader and Vice President Academic of Christian Heritage College, Brisbane. With the input of his colleagues and many others in his network, he developed business curriculum that embeds the ‘5 P missional business’ model – a model of production, people, planet, and profit. He was also Dean of Students, among other roles, at University of Southern Queensland (1993-2009).

QUALIFICATIONS

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Cantebury, 1989

Bachelor of Commerce (Hons 1), University of Newcastle, 1979

EXTERNAL EXPERT REVIEWER

External Member, various course assessment panels in business, management and leadership at Alphacrucis College, Australian College of Divinity, and Avondale University College, 2014 to 2020

Member: Australian Institute of Company Directors

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

Member: Economic Society of Australia

External Expert, Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), 2019-current

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Ps Duane Van Vuuren

Ps Duane Van Vuuren has served as Brisbane Campus Director, Postgraduate Leadership Studies Director, Unit Coordinator, and Lecturer at Alphacrucis University College. He also served as Executive Pastor at several churches across Australia.

Qualifications
Doctor of Philosophy in Leaders – candidate
Master of Arts
Master of Leadership
Graduate Certificate of Leadership

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Geoff Sheldon

Associate Professor Geoff Sheldon

Associate Professor Geoff Sheldon is a part-time Doctoral and Masters theses examiner for University of Southern Queensland and has been a visiting professor and guest lecturer at Bond University. He is the holder of a Doctorate of Policing and Security and a Master of Leadership, together with five other post and under-graduate qualifications. His distinguished Queensland policing career saw him serve across the entire state for just over 42 years (1982-2023), most recently in the Gold Coast and Cairns Districts at the level of Superintendent. He serves on multiple boards and charity committees.

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Structure and Governance