Auditor

Letuimanu’asina Dr Emma Kruse Va’ai is an independent education consultant. She was previously Chief Executive of the Samoa Qualifications Authority mandated to regulate and quality assure all post school education and training in Samoa. Prior to this she was also Deputy CE at Samoa Polytechnic and then Deputy Vice Chancellor 2005-16 and Professor of Applied Linguistics at the National University of Samoa. She was on the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Board of Governors and Chair of the Transnational Qualifications Committee for the small states of the Commonwealth.

Laura is currently the Head of the English Faculty at Kaipara College in Helensville. She is a recent graduate from the University of Otago. Before completing her Masters in Teaching and Learning, she was the President of the Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA), and through this role she was an active member on several boards, committees, review panels and councils.

She was also the Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) student representative for 2 years. Her passions include student representation, wellbeing and advocacy. 

Lyall Hanton is the Mellor Professor of Chemistry at the University of 0tago and was Head of Department from 2010 to 2018.  His research into new advanced materials combines his passion for scientific understanding and application.  He has received a number of awards for his teaching and has a strong interest in student welfare having a long association with Otago’s residential colleges.  He has convened or participated in numerous Quality Advancement Reviews of academic departments and administrative units. 

Dr John P Egan is Director of the Learning and Teaching Unit in the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, where he has been involved in a range of initiatives related to programme and teaching quality. Previously Dr Egan was Senior Manager, Strategic Curriculum Services at the University of British Columbia. He holds a PhD in Educational Studies from the University of British Columbia.

Dr Claire Carney is the Associate Vice-Principal (Education) for the University of the West of Scotland. Her role in the UWS University Leadership Team incorporates strategic leadership achievement of Corporate Strategy, Education Enabling Plan, UWS Academy, Education Futures and Academic Quality Enhancement. Previously, she was Head of Enhancement and Director of the Quality Assurance Agency Scotland (2006-2014), leading design, development and quality of Quality Enhancement programme activities across the Scottish Higher Education sector. She is a registered reviewer for Quality and Qualifications Ireland with considerable internal quality review and institutional review experience. She has recently completed a review of the National University of Ireland Galway.

Professor Mairéad Browne has been operating as an independent consultant specialising in higher education and quality assurance since 2001 following more than 30 years in institutions including University College, Dublin (National University of Ireland) and University of Sydney. She was a dean at the University of Technology, Sydney (Humanities and Social Sciences and, later, Dean of the University Graduate School). 

Professor Browne has been involved in consulting projects and panels for audit, review, licensing, accreditation and appeals at programme and institutional levels for government and higher education institutions primarily in Australia; New Zealand; Hong Kong; Bahrain; Saudi Arabia; Oman; Ireland; Mauritius; United Arab Emirates; and Papua New Guinea.

Bryn Jenkins served on the Otago Students Association Executive for multiple years, representing students on a range of University committees. During this time he spoke at the 2017 AQA Support for Quality Conference, advocated for student interests before Parliamentary Select Committee and attended the Student Voice for Universities NZUSA conference. Currently, Bryn is working with a legal technology start-up in Dunedin. 

Professor Gordon Suddaby is a Higher Education Consultant having retired from his position as Associate Professor; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Massey University’s National Centre for Teaching and Learning at the end of 2011. Previously he was, for ten years, Director of Massey’s Centre for Academic Development and eLearning (CADeL). He is a past president of Australasian Council on Open, Distance and Elearning (ACODE), directing the ACODE Learning Technologies Leadership Institute (LTLI) in 2013 and has been an LTLI faculty member in 2011 and 2015.  Gordon led the successful Massey University bid to establish and host Ako Aotearoa, the New Zealand National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence. He is currently an Auditor for Universities New Zealand’s Academic Quality Agency (AQA) and an International Reviewer for the Quality Assurance Agency (Scotland).

He has been involved in reviews/academic audits in New Zealand, Scotland, Australia and Fiji. 

Professor Mahsood Shah is the inaugural Dean of Swinburne Sydney. Having completed his PhD with a research focus on quality assurance in Australian higher education, he has led learning and teaching at faculty and school level at three Australian universities. Mahsood has extensive experience in all aspects of learning and teaching leadership including strategy and governance, quality assurance and enhancements, and maintenance of standards.  Previously he held the position of Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at La Trobe University. Mahsood is an active researcher with expertise in quality assurance in higher education, measurement and enhancement of student experience, student retention, international education, widening participation and private higher education.  Mahsood has worked closely with private higher education providers in accreditation of institutions and courses, is on the TEQSA Expert Register and been part of review panels with various international quality assurance agencies. 

Jeremy Bradshaw is Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International and Doctoral) at the University of Bath in the UK, having previously been Assistant Principal of Researcher Development at the University of Edinburgh.  He has been reviewer with the UK QAA for the last ten years.  As well as AQA, his overseas reviews include working for national agencies in Iceland, Albania, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Dubai.