Meet our dedicated learning and leadership team, driving growth and innovation. Learn more about the powerhouse behind academyEX.

Our Team | academyEX

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Board

Board Director

Aleks has over four years’ experience in Private Equity and Investment Banking across Australasia.

Aleks Noble-Campbell | Board Director | academyEX

Aleks Noble-Campbell

Founder & Board Director

Frances Valintine CNZM is a passionate educator and technologist who is focused on developing education opportunities

Frances Valintine (CNZM) | CEO & Founder, academyEX | academyEX

Frances Valintine (CNZM)

Jonathan is passionate about allocating capital to create inter-generational impact.

Jonathan Lim | Board Director | academyEX

Jonathan Lim

Nic brings extensive experience working in, and with, governance boards and is currently CEO of Flux Federation.

Nic Kennedy | Board Director | academyEX

Nic Kennedy

Rob is passionate about helping organisations with the significant challenges and opportunities posed by the colliding worlds of business

Rob Lee | Board Director | academyEX

Rob Lee

Simona Turin is a dynamic leader with a versatile background spanning various industries, from startups to corporate giants.

Simona  Turin

Executive team

Chief Delivery Officer

Ana is a versatile manager, organiser and director all rolled into one. She oversees a portfolio of existing

Ana Ivanovic-Tongue | Chief Delivery Officer | academyEX

Ana Ivanovic-Tongue

Director of Teaching and Learning

Meet Debi, Director of Teaching and Learning at academyEX—an inclusive education leader passionate about equity, Pasifika research, and academic innovation.

Debi Futter-Puati | Director of Teaching and Learning | academyEX

Debi Futter-Puati

General Manager of Growth

With 25+ years in global software, Chris Stevens drives growth and strategy at academyEX, blending tech expertise with leadership and a passion for innovation.

Chris Stevens | General Manager of Growth at academyEX

Chris Stevens

Chief Financial & Operating Officer

Dinesh Constantine | Chief Financial & Operating Officer | academyEX

Dinesh Constantine

Director of Academic Quality

Dr. Hayley is a brilliant, driven member at the very heart of academyEX.

Dr.  Hayley Sparks | Academic Director | academyEX

Dr. Hayley Sparks

Chief Product & Experience Officer

Designer of journeys and maker of maps, Chief Experience Officer Perrin is a catalyst for unlocking possibilities.

Perrin Rowland | Chief Product & Experience Officer | academyEX

Perrin Rowland

Stephen Powell | Director of Teaching and Learning | academyEX

Dr. Stephen Powell

Faculty

Postgraduate Director - MCE

Anna brings her extensive background in education to our Master of Contemporary Education team

Anna Johnstone | Postgraduate Director | academyEX

Anna Johnstone

Programme Manager - DCL & MCE

Clare Edgar is our skilled Programme Manager supporting both the Postgraduate Certificate in Digital and Collaborative learning

Clare Edgar | Programme Manager | academyEX

Clare Edgar

Postgraduate Director for the Master of Contemporary Education

Dawn Lawrence leads postgraduate learning at academyEX, championing equity, critical pedagogy, and transformative leadership in NZ education.

Dawn Lawrence | Postgraduate Director | Master of Contemporary Education

Dawn Lawrence

Dor is a facilitator for our popular Master of Contemporary Education, and her role extends to so much more than just running online sessions.

Dor Kayes | Postgraduate Director | academyEX

Dorcas Kayes

Research Director

As Research Director, Dave is responsible for supporting academic research at academyEX, as well as teaching on the Postgraduate Certificate in Digital and Collaborative Learning and across many of our Masters' programmes.

Dr.  David Parsons | Research Director | academyEX

Dr. David Parsons

Programme Operations

Emma has 20 years of experience across fashion, digital strategy, and business operations.

Emma Burton | Customer Experience and Engagement Lead | academyEX

Emma Burton

Pou Tautua

Eseta, our Pou Tautua, plays an incredibly important role driving Pasefika and Māori support across the organisation

Eseta Roseline Setu | Pou Tautua | academyEX

Eseta Roseline  Setu

Lead Facilitator - DSW & Entrepreneurship

Evey's role at The Mind Lab is our Lead Facilitatorfor the Digital Skills for the Workplace and Entrepreneurship Micro-credentials.

Evey Burilin | Lead Facilitator | academyEX

Evey Burilin

Academic Registrar

Fuatino (or Tino as she’s fondly called), is a connector. And as someone who has been with The Mind Lab and Tech Futures Lab

Fuatino Peilua | Academic Registrar | academyEX

Fuatino  Peilua

Programme Lead - MCOR & LCG

Hancine is an education leader, who strongly believes in the power of lifelong learning

Hancine Samvelyan | Programme Lead | academyEX

Hancine Samvelyan

Programme Lead - MCE

Herbert's role as Programme Lead for the Master of Contemporary Education means he's responsible for the design, operational leadership and strategic enhancement.

Dr. Herbert Thomas | Programme Lead - Master of Contemporary Education | academyEX

Dr. Herbert Thomas

Kaihautū Moana Māori

Nō Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hamoa, Ngāti Tonga, me Ngāti Wērā.

Huw Jones | Kaihautū Moana Māori | academyEX

Huw Jones

Academic Administrator

Kellianne is our organisation-extraordinaire, responsible for making sure that our Te Ara Kōtihi values

Kellianne Apted | Academic Administrator | academyEX

Kellianne Apted

Postgraduate Director - DCL

Milla is our Finnish gem, bringing her ideas, innovation and ever present smile to the Digital & Collaborative Learning team.

Milla Inkila | Postgraduate Director | academyEX

Milla Inkila

Masters of Technological Futures Programme Lead

Programme Lead for the Master of Technological Futures, Laurent Antonczak is an expert in innovation, mobile tech, and digital strategy with 20+ years' experience.

Laurent Antonczak - Programme Lead, Master of Technological Futures | academyEX

Dr. Laurent Antonczak

Sarah is someone who is super humble yet is able to make a big impact in other people’s lives.

Sarah Mwashomah | Programme Operations | academyEX

Sarah Mwashomah

Senior Programme Manager

Yuka is the type of person who always asks ‘why’ - she’s a forever curious explorer who loves to understand more about people, technology and the world.

Yuka Gray | Programme Manager | academyEX

Yuka Gray

Pou Āwhina Student Support Manager

Tayla Ammunson | academyEX

Tayla Ammunson

Industry Advisor

Brendon's academic journey recently culminated in a Master's degree in Contemporary Education

Brendon Shaw | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Brendon  Shaw

Allanah Johnston is one of our Industry Advisors for the Master of Organisational Change and Resilience Programme also known as MCOR.

Dr Allanah Johnston | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Dr. Allanah Johnston

Jill Farquharson | Postgraduate Director - MCE

Jill Farquharson

Academic Advisor

Dr. Craig is our 21st century ‘Renaissance’ man, equally at home and phenomenally qualified in the realms

Dr. Craig Hilton | Academic Advisor | academyEX

Dr. Craig Hilton

Felix is an innovator, entrepreneur, experience designer and product/project manager.

Felix Scholz | Industry Advisor| academyEX

Felix Scholz

Guillem Goodway | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Guillem Goodway

Jade is a sense maker. She’s able to grasp threads of ideas and tie them together into a bouquet of beautiful potential.

Jade Tang-Taylor | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Jade Tang-Taylor

Kingsley is skilled at breaking down concepts and helping others reconstruct them from their own perspectives.

Kingsley Melhuish | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Kingsley Melhuish

Kriv Naicker is Founder and Managing Director of Synaptec – an innovation and strategy advisory organisation that focuses on the impact of Disruptive Technology

Kriv Naicker | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Kriv Naicker

Mahsa has combined computer engineering and education as a learner, lecturer and leader in Iran and New Zealand.

Mahsa Mohaghegh | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Dr. Mahsa Mohaghegh

She is an innovative thinker with a particular interest in leadership development

Megan Rorich | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Megan Rorich

Paula Gair had a successful career working for, then consulting to, international Not For Profits in their early digital transformations

Paula Gair | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Paula Gair

Dr. Roy Davies is a pioneer in Virtual Reality, specialising initially in its application to real world

Roy Davies | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Dr. Roy Davies

The exchange of knowledge, and mutual sharing of experience. I see advising as a support role - being an accessible resource to students

Sarah Codling | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Sarah Codling

Industry Advisor, Clinician & Scientist

Holding degrees in Psychology and Neuroscience including a PhD from Max-Planck, Sylvia has contributed to the body of scientific

Sylvia Hach | Industry Advisor | academyEX

Dr. Sylvia Hach

Sarah is a strategist, advisor & coach who helps teams and organisations navigate ideas, relationships and models for a changing world.

Sarah Clearwater | Guest Speaker | academyEX

Sarah Clearwater

Staff

International Liaison Lead

Aastha Kapoor brings a wealth of experience and a passion for international education to her role as the International Liaison Lead at academyEX.

Aastha  Kapoor | International Lead Liason | academyEX

Aastha  Kapoor

Digital Product Owner

If Andrey’s face looks familiar, chances are you’ve seen him on a billboard somewhere throughout Auckland.

Andrey Sukhomlinov | Digital Product Owner | academyEX

Andrey Sukhomlinov

Technical Lead

Andy Tang is our Technical Lead and tech-solutions expert with comprehensive experience designing and developing infrastructure for software applications.

Andy Tang | Technical Lead | academyEX

Andy Tang

Junior Fullstack Developer

Anthony Lim is our Junior Fullstack Developer meaning he provides technical expertise in the realm of data engineering

Anthony Lim | Junior Fullstack Developer | academyEX

Anthony  Lim

Office Manager and Executive Assistant

Ben Sang | Office Manager and Executive Assistant | academyEX

Ben Sang

Growth & Relationship Lead

Brielle holds a degree in Psychology and French from the University of Auckland with a background in Exhibitions, Sales, Recruitment, and HR, as well as extensive travel experience.

Brielle Raven | Growth & Relationship Lead | academyEX

Brielle Raven

Digital Product Manager

It takes a special individual to master the Digital Product Manager role for Digital Boost,

Charles Jordan | Digital Product Manager | academyEX

Charles Jordan

Community & Events Manager

Eithne leads events and community engagement at academyEX, connecting learners, alumni, and industry through vibrant, purpose-driven experiences.

Meet the team

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