Our Team
Anand Karuppiah
Chief Executive Officer
Welcome to TIIS!
With nearly three decades in education, I’ve excelled across sectors, specializing in international education. From starting as a marketing executive, I progressed to roles like a research assistant, holding various academic positions in prestigious Australian institutions. My academic background includes an engineering undergraduate degree and a postgraduate degree in business management. Extensive international travel has allowed me to build a robust education network, and I’ve played a pivotal role in establishing offshore campuses and vocational institutions.
Board of Directors
- Professor Peter Flood, Chair
- Mr Nigel Tsa, Board Member
- Professor John Chelliah, Board Member
- Mr Andrew Lillicrap, Board Member
- Ms Ellie Wei, Board Member
Academic Board
- Professor John Chelliah, Chair
- Dr Elizabeth Deane, Deputy Chair
- Dr Suresh Sood, Academic Board Member
- Mr Maurice Cheong, Academic Board Member
Academic Team
Michael is a seasoned educational leader, providing leadership in the operations of independent higher education providers. He has served as Dean/Academic Director and professor with six institutions.Michael has been involved in successful registration and accreditation processes for various providers in Australia and sits on several governance bodies, including the Steering Committee for the Chairs of Academic Board Forum (CABF).Originally a business academic, Michael now writes about food, gastronomy, and wine history, complementing his work in governance and quality assurance.
Professor Michael Milgate
(FRSA FAMI CPM FATEM FCIM FGIA FIML)
Academic Director
TIIS Learning Centre Manager (Librarian), holds multiple degrees including DBA, MBA, LLM and a Master of Information Studies. He is also a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA Australia) with 25 years of auditing, accounting and finance experience in Hong Kong, mainland China, Australia and America, having been the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of a US-listed corporation. He is passionate in connecting the academic field with the business world.
Dr Daley Mok
Librarian & Learning Centre Manager
Andre Houang
Program Coordinator Accounting
A successful academic with over a decade of experience in leadership roles spanning Foundation, Undergraduate, and Postgraduate curricula in Management and Marketing. She holds a Doctor of Business Administration specialised in International Business. Her experience encompasses a deep understanding of various education systems, including Australian, British, American, and South Asian, which has equipped her to effectively enhance academic excellence through innovative solutions. She is multilingual and is able to speak in English, Sinhalese, and Hindi, with moderate proficiency in French.
Dr Gayathri Goonaratne
Program Coordinator – Business
Yousaf has over ten years of experience in research, academia, and industry, specializing in wireless networks, IoT, AI, and network security. He has been a senior lecturer and BITS coordinator at the Victorian Institute of Technology (VIT), Sydney (2023–2024), and an Assistant Professor at Yeungnam University, South Korea (2018–2022). He also held positions as a postdoctoral fellow and research assistant at Yeungnam University, and as a lecturer at King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. With over 100 published works and more than 5000 citations, he is listed among the world’s top 2% of researchers (2021–2024).
Dr Yousaf Bin Zikria
(Senior Member IEEE)
Program Coordinator – IT/Cyber Security
Has a PhD in Business Management from RMIT University and has been engaged in teaching and research for almost 15 years. She is an experienced educator, has taught several business courses and performed academic and leadership roles within universities and higher education institutes. Moreover, her research has been published in high-ranking conferences in the USA, Europe and Australia. Her teaching style focuses on identifying the needs of students and helping them recognize their abilities and talents.
Dr Wajeeha Khalil
Assistant Program Coordinator – Business, TIIS Melbourne
She completed Master of Engineering majoring in Augmented Reality (coursework and research) from Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and Master by research (Computing) from University of Tasmania. In addition, she has an extensive University/College ICT teaching, tutoring, and unit coordination since 2019 with some unit commendations. The universities include University of Tasmania, Canterbury Institute of Management, and Monash College.
Elisabeth brings her diverse academic and professional experience to her role, making her a significant contributor to the growth and success of TIIS Melbourne.
Elisabeth Widjojo
Assistant Program Coordinator – IT, TIIS Melbourne
Megan brings a wealth of corporate governance and education expertise to the role. Having commenced her career as a teacher then moving into education operations and transitioning to corporate governance Megan is a recognised leader in organisational transparency, accountability and risk management with a focus on people, purpose, process and performance. Her background extends across corporate affairs, finance, C-suite roles, company secretary and Board directorships within Government, the not for profit and private sectors. In her spare time Megan enjoys returning to her speech and drama Trinity College roots as well persevering in bringing her mango and fig trees to fruit!
Megan Lavender
Governance Executive
- Dr Philip Booth, Senior Lecturer
- Dr Karuna Madhavan, Lecturer
- Dr Annamaria Kurtovic, Lecturer
- Dr Julian Yim, Lecturer
- Mr Shibly Abdullah, Lecturer
- Dr Yega Muthu, Lecturer
- Mr Senthilananthan Suntharalingam, Lecturer
- Ms Rosana Tyler, Lecturer
- Dr Donna Gill, Lecturer
- Mr Iswan Mastro, Lecturer
- Ms Luciana Uhlemann, Lecturer
- Dr Mohammad Momeni, Lecturer
- Mr Jude Gibson, Lecturer
- Ms Margaret Redestowicz, Lecturer
- Mr Mohammad Sabsabi, Lecturer
- Mr Rob Chertok, Lecturer
- Ms Donna Mack, Lecturer
- Dr Kanwal Javed, Lecturer
- Dr Nectar Costadoupoulos, Lecturer
Professional Team
With more than 24 years of background in the migration industry as an Administration Officer. Here at TIIS, specialize in providing appropriate services to the students. The first point of contact for them. Always here to help and advise.
Amy Zeng
Student Services Officer
Simon is a seasoned professional with over ten years of accounting experience in various industries, including financial services, FMCG, clubs and societies, retail, logistics, and professional services firms.
Simon Liang
Accounts Officer
With a Master’s degree in Marketing from the University of Melbourne, Ben brings over three years of industry experience to the table. Renowned for his prowess in navigating the complexities of the China-Australia market, he excels in crafting and executing strategic marketing campaigns. Currently holding the position of Marketing officer at TIIS Melbourne, Ben spearheads enrollment endeavors across the East Asia region with precision and dedication.
Benhan Shi
Marketing Manager
Jackie is fluent in both English and Mandarin and holds a Master’s degree in Crosscultural Communication from the University of Sydney. Currently a member of the Student Services team, Jackie brings strong attention to detail, developed through prior experience in a logistics environment. His skills support effective communication and dedicated service within diverse student communities.
Jackie Lu
Student Administration Officer
Chandni has been driving marketing initiatives for Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs at a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) since 2019. Now extending her focus to the Higher Education sector, she continues to expand her capabilities across a broad spectrum of marketing strategies. With a degree in marketing and a culturally rich background rooted in India, Chandni brings a global perspective to her work. Her diverse expertise spanning traditional outreach and a strong digital marketing presence—enables her to develop impactful, inclusive campaigns that engage a wide-ranging audience
Chandi Thakkar
Marketing Manager
Nica holds a degree in Marketing and Advertising and brings over 8 years of experience in marketing roles across diverse industries. Her background includes event coordination, content development, and campaign strategy, with a passion for creating meaningful brand experiences. At TIIS, she supports both marketing and student services, contributing to the institute’s visibility and student engagement through creative and strategic initiatives.
Nica Tamayo
Marketing and Student Services Officer
Want to know more?
Find out more about studying in Australia with TIIS Institute.