GCA Board

The GCA Board was reconstituted on 3rd  December 2013 per TEQSA’s recommendations for the GCA Board to provide oversight of UBSS as GCA’s higher education provider.  The GCA Board replaces the UBSS Council that was set up under the previous legislation.

  • CEO & Chair - Alan Manly

  • JP, FAICD

    Appointment Date: 03/12/1998

  • Alan is a founding Director and Chief Executive Officer of GCA group of companies. CEO and Chair of UBSS.

    As Chief Executive Officer he is responsible for the corporate planning and governance of the group which has as it flagship the Universal Business School Sydney, an independent Higher Education Provider that provides a Business Degree, an Accounting Degree and a Masters of Business Administration.

    Alan is a published author, company director and entrepreneur with over thirty years of experience in the technology and education industries. He has twenty years of experience as a Company Director with private, public and NFP companies.

    He has been active in representing the education industry and is a former Board member of two education industry peak bodies. 
     
    Prior to a career in education Alan had a career in the ICT industry working for a multinational corporation and later third party vendors. He established a start-up software company and a computer college that expanded and morphed into the GCA Group of Companies.
     
    He is the published author of an autobiography that details a ten year legal battle where he represented himself from the local court in North Sydney to final victory in the High Court of Australia: “When There Are Too Many Lawyers - There Is No Justice.” He later released his  second book titled "The Unlikely Entrepreneur". For book reviews and media interviews go to www.alanmanly.com.au
     
    Alan has presented on ‘entrepreneurship and the education industry’ from the view point of a company director and entrepreneur. 
     
    Alan is a Justice of the Peace, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management (IML).
     

    Email: alan.manly@gca.edu.au

    LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/alanmanly

    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Manly

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alanmanlyentrepreneur/
     

  • Executive Director - Professor Greg Whateley

  • Appointment Date: 22/04/2016
  • Professor Whateley completed a Diploma of Teaching (with majors in Music and Psychology), a Bachelor of Education (Curriculum Design and Development), a Bachelor of Music Education (with a music education focus), a Graduate Diploma in Educational Administration (with a focus on Organisational Behaviour), a Master of Education (Assessment and Evaluation) and a Doctorate in Virtual Pedagogy. Throughout his teaching career he has maintained a keen interest in how and why people learn. 
    Dr Whateley began his teaching career (1975 – 1988) in the area of music and arts education at both primary and secondary level. He has taught at every level of formal education (K – PhD) and has either, taught and/or researched, in four States and five Countries. 
     
    He commenced his work in the tertiary sector at the University of Tasmania in Hobart (1989-90) as a Lecturer in Music Education. He moved to Griffith University on the Gold Coast (1991-1999) as a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Music Education. He served as Head of School - Arts and during that time managed the Film and Television Music post- graduate awards at the University and the Queensland Conservatorium of Music where he also served as Deputy Dean (External Relations). He became Associate Professor and Director of the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (2000-2003) where he co-founded (with Professor Ian Bofinger) Australia’s first ‘Virtual Conservatorium’. He also held the position of Head of School - Arts and Manager, Business Initiatives in the Faculty of Education and Creative Arts.
     
    He took the position of General Manager and Professorial Head of School at the Australian Institute of Music  (2004 – mid 2005). He also held the position of Senior Visiting Fellow at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales (2006 - 2008) and Director of Education and Quality at the National Centre for Language Training (an International Centre of Excellence at the University of New South Wales) from mid 2005 to end 2008. Greg held the position of Senior Visiting Fellow at Wesley Institute (2005- 2011) where he chaired the Academic Board and managed the Master of Music program (Arts Management strand). In 2008 Greg was appointed Principal of the Australian International Conservatorium of Music. He was also Consulting Chair of Arts Management at the Sydney Opera House in association with the Australian Institute of Music. In 2011, Greg accepted the post of Deputy Dean at UWSCollege, University of Western Sydney and later became the Dean of The College (Western Sydney University).
     
    Greg’s teaching areas include Teaching Pedagogy, Human Behaviour, Organisational Leadership, Organisational Behaviour, Critical Management, Qualitative Research Methodology and Music History & Form.
     
    Professor Greg Whateley is currently Executive Dean at UBSS (Group Colleges of Australia) researching and writing in the areas of Quality Management and eQuality. He is author of more than 250 external publications and advises in the areas of accreditation, quality assurance, government reporting, eLearning, mLearning and bLearning. He is a Member of the Academic Board at the Asia Pacific International College (APIC) and a Member of the Academic Board at the Australasian College of Health and Wellness (AIHW). He is a Member of the Editorial Board for the International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change and a Reviewer for the British Educational Research Journal.

  • Independent Director - Paul Nicolaou

  • Appointment Date: 03/12/2013

  • Paul Nicolaou is currently the Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry Business Leaders Council and Director of Corporate & Community Solutions a private company specialising in strategic advice, marketing, fundraising, media, public relations and event management. Paul’s wide and deep network in Sydney’s business community will be of great value to UBSS as it seeks to enter the executive education market in Sydney.

     Paul sits on the Boards of The Gut Foundation, which conducts research & education campaigns on bowel cancer and The Estia Foundation, which provides support services to children with disabilities. In addition, Paul is an ambassador of Start Up Australia which is an entrepreneur-led not for profit organisation that wants to create a strong Australia for the future, through the creation of more entrepreneurial ventures.

     Paul was the former Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Hotels Association of NSW. He held that position for nearly three years. The AHA is one of the largest industry associations in Australia representing 1,700 pubs and 100 accommodation hotels in NSW. Paul managed 30 staff and represented his members in the federal, state and local government arenas.

    Prior to the AHA, Paul was the Executive Chairman of the Millennium Forum, which was the fundraising and engagement arm of the Liberal Party of Australia NSW Division.

     Paul was formerly on the board of The Centennial Parklands Foundation, which is a charitable organisation that has been established to ensure the Centennial Parklands environment, and heritage value continues to be enjoyed now and by future generations. In addition Paul was on the Bill Crews Trust which exists to encourage and develop new and innovative projects aimed at alleviating poverty in Australia and in third world countries.

     Paul was also the former NSW President of the Marketing Institute of Australia for 4 years, a member of the Council for ten years and is currently an Associate Fellow and Certified Practicing Marketer of the Marketing Institute of Australia.

     Paul was a non-executive director for Roses Only, which moved from start-up to a $20 million company over a period of five years.

    In the early years Paul, was the former Chief Executive Officer of the UNSW Foundation, which was responsible in raising $10-$12million a year for providing important medical research and scholarships for disadvantaged students at the University of New South Wales. At the same time he was the Director of Public Affairs & Development for three years at the university managing 50 staff.

     Paul served as the Deputy Director of Public Affairs and Development for three years at UNSW as well.

     Prior to his senior roles at the university, Paul was the Director of Fundraising at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Camperdown. He held that position for nearly six years. Every year, Paul and his team raised between $12-$15million per annum for vital research and lifesaving equipment for the sickest children in the state.

     When Paul was studying his Bachelor of Arts Degree and Master of Commerce at the University of New South Wales he was involved & achieved the following:

     • 1986-1987 - UNSW Faculty of Arts Representative
    • 1987 - Education Vice President of the UNSW Student's Union
    • 1987-1989 - Student Representative on the UNSW Academic Board
    • 1988 - President of the UNSW Student's Union
    • 1988-1990 - Member of the UNSW Student Disciplinary Committee
    • 1988-1990 - Board Member of the Universities Credit Union
    • 1988-1990 - President of the Hellenic Society of UNSW
    • 1989 – Completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree majored in Economics and Industrial Relations
    • 1989-1990 - UNSW University Union Board member
    • 1989-1990 - UNSW Faculty of Commerce Representative
    • 1990 - Undergraduate Alumni Award Recipient
    • 1990 - UNSW Alumni Graduand Award winner
    • 1990- Completed his Master of Commerce Degree majoring in marketing & organizational behaviour

     Finally, during 2009-2013 Paul provided alumni & development advice for the UNSW Faculty of Science and from 2009 until now is a Board Member of the UNSW Hellenic Studies Foundation.

    Paul is regarded as one of Australia’s leading fundraisers raising money for many charitable organisations. As a result of this, Paul over his career has received the following awards recognizing his substantial efforts:

     • UNSW Alumni Award for Achievement in 1990
    • Conferred a Benefactor of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in 2000
    • Awarded a Centenary Medal of Australia in 2003
    • Awarded the Tourism Training Australia National Training Legend Award in 2012

  • Independent Director - Sir Gregory Whitby

  • Appointment Date: 29/07/2015

  • Greg Whitby is widely acknowledged as an innovative educator who is passionate about ensuring that schooling meets the needs of today’s learners. For the past 14 years, Greg has led a system of Catholic schools in both the Dioceses of Wollongong and now Parramatta.

    Over the past two decades, Greg has been rethinking the nature of learning and teaching in a digital age and the role of learning environments and technology in supporting new pedagogies.He has been instrumental in the development of new school and learning space designs to accommodate contemporary learning and teaching.

    In recent years, Greg has worked with school and system leaders to build teacher capacity in order to improve the learning outcomes of every student. He has forged global partnerships with leading educational thinkers such as Michael Fullan, Viviane Robinson, Helen Timperley and Lyn Sharratt to assist in bridging the gap between theory and classroom practice.

    Greg has developed a strong national and international profile and regularly presents on educational change and leadership, school innovation and technology. He was nominated to deliver the prestigious AW Jones Oration in 2011. In the same year, Greg was appointed to the Federal Government’s Digital Education Advisory Group. He is also founding Chairman of CEnet (Catholic Education Network) – a not for profit company linking 745 schools across Australia on a robust virtual private network.  In addition, Greg is Fellow of the Australian College of Educators, the Australian Council for Educational Leaders and the Australian Institute of Management for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of education.

    He received a Papal Knighthood in the Order of St Gregory the Great for his contribution to Catholic education in November 2015.

    Greg was also named the most innovative educator in Australia by the Bulletin Magazine in its annual SMART 100 awards.  He was nominated by esteemed educator, Hedley Beare.

  • Independent Director - Alan Finch

  • Appointment Date: 14/03/2020
  • A graduate of the University of Melbourne, Alan’s career as a senior university administrator has spanned 49 years in the Australian university sector. His combined experience of senior level public and independent higher education has given him a unique insight and understanding of both, and especially of their respective strengths and challenges.
     
    Alan is the current Chair of Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA), formerly known as COPHE (the Council of Private Higher Education), of which he was a founding member and Deputy Chair from 2002.  Today, IHEA is the peak body representing some 65 private higher education member institutions.  
     
    His career in university administration started at Monash in 1970, as a Graduate Assistant to the Registrar, culminating in the position of Assistant Registrar of the Faculty of Arts, then Monash’s largest Faculty. He left Monash in 1987 and moved to the Gold Coast to join the initial planning team for Bond University. Alan spent 29 years at  Bond in two stints 1987-2019, and 1996-2019 with a break 1992-1996 as Registrar and Secretary of the University of Southern Queensland.  In 1996 Alan returned to Bond by invitation and was appointed as Registrar and Company Secretary.  Alan was subsequently appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor Students and Academic Support and at the time of his retirement from Bond in December 2019, he was Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Students and Support Services).
     
    During his career his reports and responsibilities have at various times included most operational areas outside the classroom, including Marketing; Public Relations; Student Recruitment; Human Resources; Executive Recruitment; Buildings and Grounds; AV Services; Student Housing; Student Administration; Student Systems and Data; Careers Services; Medical and Psychological Services, Disability Services;  the Academic Secretariat; Student Learning Support; Company Secretary and Secretary to Council; Library Services, and Commercial Services, encompassing Events, Food & Beverage Services, Sport and Sports Centre, and Security. He was responsible for founding the Nyombil Centre, Bond’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander support centre. His primary focus at Bond has been creating and nurturing the unique student experience which has seen Bond consistently at the top of student experience ratings for some two decades.
     
    Alan has served on numerous external state and federal government committees and working groups. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and just prior to his retirement, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of, in the words of the degree citation: “a sustained and outstanding contribution” to Bond University.