Council Members
Council Members
Chair
Emeritus Professor John Hearn
BSc, MSc, PhD (ANU)
Professor Hearn was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) of the Australian National University 2000-2004 and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) of the University of Sydney 2004-2013, and is currently the Professor of Physiology at the Medical School of the University of Sydney and Executive Director of Worldwide Universities Network (WUN).
External Members
Emeritus Professor Steven Schwartz AM
PhD (Syracuse)
Professor Schwartz was Vice-Chancellor of Murdoch University in Perth, Vice-Chancellor of Brunel University in London and Vice-Chancellor of Macquarie University in Sydney. He is currently an Hon Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne. His previous appointments include the Chair of the Board of the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and Executive Director of the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS).
Emeritus Professor Keith Houghton
MSc BCom PhD FCA FCPA
Dr Houghton is an Emeritus Professor of the Australian National University (ANU), and is Chief Strategist at the Higher Education and Research Group (HERG) and a Principal of Research Coaching Australia (RCA). He previous appointments include as Dean of the College of Business and Economics of the ANU and a member of the University Council and the University level Finance Committee. He also served as Chair as the Academic Board of the ANU. Prior to that he was Fitzgerald Professor of the University of Melbourne, including a period as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Commerce of that University.
For more information on Professor Houghton please refer to his Academic Board Members profile.Â
Dr Le Ma
B.Comm (Macq), M.Financial Analysis (UNSW), PhD (USyd), Lecturer UTS
Dr Ma is an undergraduate and postgraduate lecturer in financial statement analysis at University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Dr MA received her Bachelor of Commerce in Professional Accounting at Macquarie University in 2009 and Master of Financial Analysis at University of New South Wales in 2010. She completed her PhD in accounting at the Business School of University of Sydney in 2016. Before joining UTS in 2016, Le had more than three-years teaching experience at University of Sydney. She also taught several accounting and finance courses at IMC between 2010 and 2013. Funded by MEAFA Research Group of University of Sydney, Le visited the Smeal College of Business Pennsylvania State University US for one semester in 2014.
Emeritus Professor Anthony Welch
PhD (London)
Anthony Welch is Professor of Education, University of Sydney. Numerous publications address education reforms, principally within Australia and the Asia- Pacific. A consultant to state, national and international agencies, governments, institutions and foundations, particularly in higher education, his project experience focuses on Australia, East and SE Asia. His work has been translated into a dozen languages, and he has been Visiting Professor in the USA, UK, Germany, France, Japan, Malaysia, Turkey, China, and Hong Kong, China. A Fulbright (New Century) Scholar, Tübitak, INRP and DAAD Scholar, his books include Measuring Up in Higher Education (2021) International Faculty in Asia. (2021) Education, Change and Society (2018), ASEAN Industries and the Challenge from China (2011), The Professoriate: Profile of a Profession (2005), and Higher Education in South East Asia (2011). He was a consultant to the ADB project Higher Education in Dynamic Asia, and directed the ARC project, The Chinese Knowledge Diaspora.
Ms Dan AO
BCom (USYD), MA (UNSW)
Dan Ao’s career spans nearly 16 years in corporate advisory and wealth management, having worked internationally for top tier firms such as Citibank, Ernst & Young and Morgan Stanley. Her diverse background combines extensive experience in Cross Border Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity and Ultra High Net Worth Wealth Management. She is also an examiner for Cambridge English Language Assessment at University of Cambridge.Â
Dan holds a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Sydney, a Master of Arts from University of New South Wales, a Graduate Certificate of Australian Migration Law from Australian National University and successfully completed Algorithmic Trading Executive programme from University of Oxford Said Business School.
Internal Members
Ms Cathy Xu

President of Australian National Institute of Management and Commerce, BFA (UNE), M.Comm (UNE), GCHE (MQ), CPA, EDBA (Université Paris-DAUPHINE candidate)
Cathy Xu is the President of IMC. She has previously held various positions in the Institute, including Senior Academic Manager, Associate Dean of Business School, and Vice-President (Regulatory and Compliance).Ms Xu has extensive knowledge in relation to higher education regulations, and experience in the higher education management. In the last ten years, Ms Xu had assisted the Institute to achieve a number of regulatory milestones for the Institute, including achieving re-registration, over 30 course accreditations and re-accreditations for the maximum allowed period of seven years without conditions under TEQSA, and recently achieving partial self-accrediting authority in the broad field of Management and Commerce. She has spearheaded continuous improvement in the Institute’s various departments and continues to oversee day-to-day operations as well as guide key strategic decision-making in her role as President.
Emeritus Professor Peter Eddey
Deputy President (Management), BCom (Hons) (UNSW), MCom (Hons) (UNSW), FCA, FCPA
Professor Peter Eddey joined the Institute in 2013 after a career in public universities commencing in 1974. Prior appointments include Macquarie University (33 years), where he became Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Business and Economics. Other appointments include the University of New South Wales and Charles Sturt University, with overseas visiting appointments at the University of Washington (USA) and the University of Kent (UK). Peter’s academic expertise is in the field of accounting and financial management. He has published in leading national and international research journals, including Abacus, Accounting and Finance, and the Journal of Accounting Research. Peter’s sole-authored textbook in corporate accounting enjoyed wide adoption by Australian universities for many years. While at Macquarie University, Peter was appointed the faculty director of graduate studies. Peter created and implemented several successful postgraduate programs in this role, including the Master of Commerce (Professional Accounting) and the Master of International Business in Sydney and Hong Kong. Over a long career in public universities, Peter has acted as a consultant to accounting firms, corporations and government bodies. Peter was Provost at IMC from 2018 to 2023, during which his role involved curriculum design, accreditation, quality assurance, and academic management. Peter is now Deputy President (Management) at IMC, with a role that includes a broad oversight of operations so that IMC can deliver quality education to students and value to all other Institute stakeholders. Â
Professor Peter Duffy
Deputy President (Education) Dip. T. Grad Dip, Curric. M.Ed. DProf
Professor Peter Duffy has a demonstrated record of exemplary leadership,
management and outcomes in education, curriculum renewal, digital learning and academic /institutional transformation. He has been involved in the field of education for over three decades across a variety of roles. At present, he is the Deputy President (Education) at the Australian National Institute of Management and Commerce (IMC) and overseas a comprehensive portfolio of educational innovation, scholarship, policy and educational quality reform.
Prior to this, he has had a variety of roles in education, including the Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, Inaugural Head of the Innovation Hub at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Inaugural Associate Director (Curriculum Development) at Victoria University in Australia and, “Special Assistant E-Learning” to the Vice President (Academic Development) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Professor Duffy is an internationally recognised expert in his field and has been
successful in obtaining ~75 Million HKD (~70 Million RMB) in Teaching and Learning innovation grants. He has also been an invited presenter at many local and international events including an invited session chair at the GUIDE (Global Universities in Distance Education) International Forum in Rome, and an invited speaker and facilitator at the Australian Education Minster’s Awards. He has extensive educational expertise and has offered more than 75 Masterclasses across most areas of educational theory and practice, including Quality Assurance of Online Education, Learning Analytics, Blended Learning and Strategies for Organisational Transformation, to name a few.
Ms Lily Yu
Vice President (Internal Operations), B Medicine (SUTCM), MPA (UNSW), FCPA, J.P
Ms. Yu is Assisting Principal (Internal Operation) of IMC. Ms. Yu is a qualified accountant as a full member of CPA Australia and participates on Council as a financial expert.
Ms Qingqing Hao
BSWork (PKU), BA (PKU), MEd (MQ)
Ms Hao is the Senior Student Service Manager at IMC participating in the Council as a Staff Representative.
Mr Xiuheng Li
Student Representative
Mr Li is an international student at IMC participating in the council as a student representative.Â
Chenjun Wang (Ellie)

Secretary to the Council
BBComm (Hanyang), MIntComm & MIR (Macquarie), MRes (Macquarie), PhD Candidate (Macquarie)
Ellie joined Australian National Institute of Management and Commerce (IMC) in 2024. Her previous academic and professional roles include serving as a Research Assistant at Macquarie University, the University of New South Wales, Seoul National University, and the Lowy Institute. She has been Assistant Editor for The Journal of International Communication and Lead Trade Policy Analyst at China Policy.
Ellie is a member of the International Cultural Relations Research Alliance (ICRRA) of the British Council and the Institut fűr Auslandsbezienhungen (ifa). Her scholarly publications focus on cultural and communication studies. Her research interests include intercultural relations, community well-being, and the field of emotional AI and ethics of AI. She has delivered lectures at the Australian National University, Ewha Womans University, and the University of Bonn.
Ellie was awarded a Fellowship at the Australian Centre on China in the World at the Australian National University in 2023. She was named a Young Professional Ambassador by the Australia China Business Council (NSW), 2019–2020. She promoted cultural events and festivals at the Korean Cultural Centre in Sydney, bringing diverse communities together through shared artistic and cultural experience.
