2019 MBA Directors Forum Speakers

Paul Higgins

Paul established Emergent Futures as a consulting company combining his long experience in business with his training as a futurist to assist organisations and individuals in the creation of strategy. Paul believes that the application of foresight tools to the strategy process can give organisations a critical edge in a fast moving modern world. He holds a First Class Honours Degree in Veterinary Science, a Bachelor of Animal Science, and a Masters Degree in Strategic Foresight. Paul is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Katy Montgomery

Head of Programs & Associate Dean – INSEAD

Katy Montgomery was appointed Associate Dean of Degree Programmes on 1 September 2018. In this role, Katy will be responsible for the commercial leadership of the INSEAD Degree Programme portfolio. Her functional responsibilities include strategy, marketing, sales, admissions, financial aid, programme operations, student life and career services.

Katy has 14 years of experience in higher education, most recently serving as Associate Dean of Student Development at Johns Hopkins Business School and joined INSEAD in February 2017 as Global Director of the Career Development Centre (CDC). Under her leadership, the CDC team has seen a 32 percent increase in student satisfaction, the rollout of a new Careers Core and inaugural Talent Networking Forums hosted in Paris and Singapore. This is the innovative spirit Katy can bring to Degree Programmes.

Katy holds a degree in Political Science from Loyola University New Orleans and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Tom Robinson

CEO & President AACSB

Tom Robinson serves as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AACSB International, the primary global accreditor and membership organization of business schools. As president and CEO, he works alongside the organization’s board and global network of staff, members, and volunteers to foster engagement, accelerate innovation, and amplify impact in business education.

Prior to joining AACSB, Robinson spent 7 years at CFA Institute most recently as Managing Director of the Americas and Managing Director of Education globally, providing vision and leadership for a 100+ member global team—which produced and delivered educational content and programs for candidates, members, other investment professionals, and universities. Tom also served as co-executive sponsor of CFA Institute’s Future of Finance Initiative.

Robinson is a CFA charterholder, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) (Ohio), a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®), and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s and doctorate from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

Carol Schwartz AM

CEO & Director Reserve Bank of Australia

Carol Schwartz AM is one of Australia’s most dynamic business leaders with a career spanning property, the arts, finance, government and health sectors. Having been nominated an “eminent business leader” by the Australian Government, Carol has conducted significant inquiries on behalf of government, chaired major government boards as well as chairing and participating in high level private company and listed company boards. Carol is regarded as one of Australia’s leading spokespeople on the issues of governance, social enterprise and women’s leadership. Carol was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 for her achievements in business and commerce and her contribution to community and the arts; Carol also received the Centenary Medal in 2001 in recognition of her outstanding service as a leading business executive and board participant. In 2016 Carol became the first women to be inducted into the Australian Property Hall of Fame as well as being made an honorary life member of the Property Council of Australia and in 2018 Carol was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Monash University.

Carol’s current roles include, Director; Reserve Bank of Australia, Director; Stockland, Chair; Our Community, Chair; Women’s Leadership Institute Australia amongst many others.

Patrick Mullane

Executive Director Harvard Business School Online

Patrick Mullane is the Executive Director of Harvard Business School Online (HBS Online). He brings over 20 years of management experience across several industries to the position. As Executive Director, Patrick is responsible for managing HBS Online’s growth, expansion in global markets, and long-term success. HBS Online leverages Harvard Business School’s reputation for excellence and impact in business education and the broader business community, as well as the vast intellectual property, academic pedagogy, and faculty talent of the school to be the premier provider of high-quality online business education.

Prior to joining HBS Online, Patrick was the CEO of Fabrico, Inc., an industrial manufacturing company that was purchased by Technetics, Inc. in 2014. Subsequent to the sale of Fabrico, Patrick served as vice president and general manager in Technetics’ industrial turbine portfolio. Before earning his MBA, Mullane served as a captain in a U.S. Air Force intelligence organization. He has also been an early employee of a technology startup, managed Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions’ Washington DC market, and worked in a telecommunications equipment company.

Patrick holds a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, an M.S. in Project and Systems Management from Golden Gate University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Jacqui Coombes

Member – Prime Minister of New Zealand Business Advisory Council – Director HR & Operations Bunnings New Zealand

Jacqui Coombes has worked for Bunnings since 2011 and is currently the Director for New Zealand and Group Human Resources. Under Jacqui’s leadership the turnover of the business doubled in the first five years coupled with a significant increase in profitability.

Jacqui delivered a step change improvement in safety performance and has positioned the business as an employer of choice within the New Zealand market, including introducing industry leading wages for the Bunnings Team

Prior to joining Bunnings, Jacqui was General Manager Operations for Spotlight with overall responsibility for New Zealand and retail store operations in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Jacqui has held senior executive roles with a range of large New Zealand and International businesses including Noel Leeming, Bond and Bond, PixFoto, Woolworths, Aldi and Texaco.

Jacqui is an accomplished leader with a strong commercial focus. She has earned a reputation for driving exceptional results through the development of high performance teams, and building values and people based organisational cultures.

Jacqui is a strong advocate for fostering the development of future business leaders throughout their chosen careers. As a strong role model for young female leaders, she is also a member of Global Women which brings together New Zealand’s most influential leaders to promote gender equality in business.

Jacqui is a Director of the Bunnings Ltd Board and its subsidiaries.

Jacqui’s personal purpose statement is ‘Through Tenacity Deliver Brilliance’.

Ephraim Patrick

Partner – Mercer

Ephraim Patrick is a Partner at Mercer working with clients across the private, public and educational sector in the areas of People Strategy, Analytics, Organisational Performance and the New World of Work. He holds an Executive MBA from Henley Business School (UK) as well as a Degree in Business and Educational Science from the University of Heidelberg (Germany). He is a guest lecturer at UTS and Monash Business School. Mercer is a global team of over 22,000 individuals with a passion for evidence-based consulting to help organisations in the areas of health, wealth and talent.

Rebecca Loades

Director, Masters Program – Graduate Management Admissions Council

Rebecca is responsible for developing and delivering the Council’s strategy for business master’s programs around the world and has a keen interest in promoting greater understanding and appreciation for this segment of graduate management education among both schools and candidates. Earlier roles at the Council have spanned over the horizon technology evaluation as well as new product, and market, development. Rebecca holds a B.Eng. (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management. When not working, Rebecca is a voracious reader, willing traveler, over-exuberant runner and cyclist, enthusiastic skier, keen diver, and enjoys messing around with clay.

John Gurskey

Director – Career Management Centre – Melbourne Business School Graduate Management Education

Passionate, enthusiastic and goal focused Career Management Centre leader with 13 years of corporate recruitment experience with start-ups and AT&T. Ten years of experience in MBA career services with Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller College of Business and Melbourne Business School.  Currently lead a team of 5 highly experienced Career Coaches and Associate Directors responsible for delivering career coaching and industry engagement across five degree programs.

Julie Toth 

Chief Economist, Australian Industry Group Adjunct Professor of Economics, Deakin University

Julie heads the Australian Industry Group’s economics team, producing economics research, comment and policy advice for Ai Group and its members. She is also: Adjunct Professor of Economics and advisory board member at Deakin University; panel member of the Melbourne Economic Forum at the University of Melbourne; and a member of the National Economic Policy Panel of the Economics Society of Australia.

Julie has over two decades of experience in Australian economic policy and research, working across the public and private sectors. She holds a Masters degree in Labour Economics and Honours degrees in Economics and the Arts.

David Pich

Chief Executive Institute of Managers and Leaders

As the first national Chief Executive of the Institute of Managers and Leaders (formerly the Australian Institute of Management), one of Australia’s oldest, largest and most pre-eminent Membership-based organisations, David advocates for sound management and leadership practise in the workplace and beyond.

He began his career in a senior HR role at Hewlett-Packard, and followed this in executive roles in Marketing, PR and Consulting at PwC and Computer Associates. His first CEO appointment was at a medical research start-up at a major teaching hospital in Sydney.

David is a graduate of Cambridge University and Western Sydney University. He sits on the Board of the Intensive Care Foundation of Australian & New Zealand and lives in Brisbane with his wife and two daughters. He has a passion for long distance running, although the sub-3-hour marathon continues to elude him.

David is also co-author of the Institute’s Leadership Matters. 7 skills of very successful leaders.

Viki Kish

Born in the UK and raised in a bi-cultural household (English/Hungarian), Viktoria learnt from an early age the challenges and the importance of cross-cultural understanding and cooperation. After graduating from the University of London, Viktoria eventually took up a position at a business school in the Czech Republic where in 1999, she established International Study Programs (ISP). In 2011, Viktoria established a partner office in Hong Kong from where she targeted the Asian & Australian markets and chaired the SME committee of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. ISP is the leading independent provider of global experiential learning for business schools worldwide. With over 150 clients in Australia, the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK and China, and more than 180 programs running annually in over 130 cities.

With 20 years’ experience working with business schools and international organizations, and a passionate advocate for SMEs and for better international communication, Viktoria has spoken at a variety of seminars and conferences organised by the British Chamber of Commerce, the Australian Chamber of Commerce in HK, the Executive MBA Council, and London University.   In addition to her work with ISP, Viktoria currently sits on the advisory board of the School of Business & Management at Royal Holloway, University of London and works as a mentor/advisor to SMEs in the UK.

Andrew Crisp

Andrew Crisp founded CarringtonCrisp with Mary Lou Carrington in 2003. Since that time the business has worked with more than 150 business schools and universities in 30 countries, providing market research, consultancy, strategy and creative solutions.  CarringtonCrisp is particularly known for its group research projects for business schools including GenerationWeb, Tomorrow’s MBA and Executive Education Futures. 

CarringtonCrisp also carry out a range of bespoke research, strategy, programme and communications projects with clients drawn from around the world, including INSEAD, LUISS Business School, Rotterdam School of Management, Sauder School of Business, Muscat University, UNSW Business School and the University of Canberra.

Tine Kӧhler

Tine Kӧhler is a Senior Lecturer for International Management at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She received her PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, USA. Her research interests include global teamwork, the management of cross-cultural differences in norms, communication, and coordination, trust, and qualitative and quantitative research methods. Her work has appeared in Organizational Research Methods, the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Human Resource Management, International Journal of Human Resource Management, and Small Group Research. She has previously worked as a Leadership Development Consultant for the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group, Washington, D.C.).