COLLEGE GOVERNANCE
THE IES BOARD
The IES Board is the governing body for IES College. The governance of the college is vested in the directors of the IES Board, who collectively, are responsible for the schools’ financial management, strategic planning, policy formulation, and statutory compliance.
The Board currently comprises five Directors and a Company Secretary, each bringing their own unique knowledge, experience and skillsets to their roles. A Board Chair and Deputy Chair are elected from the group of directors annually at the Annual General Meeting.
IES Board Directors hold office for three years. At the end of the three year term directors are eligible for re-appointment.
The IES Board operates as a true ‘governing’ body to IES College. This means that the day-to-day operations of the school are delegated to the College Principal and CEO, through them, to key members of senior staff. The IES Board, under its constitution and Board Policies, supports the Principal and CEO, and monitors their leadership of the college.
The IES Board sits regularly throughout the school year, typically holding a general meeting each term, in addition to an Annual General Meeting and an Annual Strategic Planning Day.
The IES Board can be contacted via email.
PROFESSOR SARAH ROBERTS-THOMSON, BOARD CHAIR
Professor Sarah Roberts-Thomson joined the IES Board in 2018. Sarah is an experienced company director. She is also currently the Deputy Chair of the Australian Pharmacy Council with previous non-executive director roles in healthcare and pharmacy organisations. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Sarah is currently the Head of School, School of Pharmacy at The University of Queensland. She has worked in the higher education and research sector for over 25 years and holds a Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, UK awarded in recognition of her leadership in learning and teaching in higher education. In 2022, she was also recognised for her leadership in her discipline with the award of Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
Sarah also co-leads a research team focussed on discovering new targets for drugs to treat poor prognosis breast cancer. Her passion is supporting opportunity and access to education for all people.
MR PETER WATSON, DEPUTY CHAIR
Peter Watson has served as a director on the IES Board for over 20 years.
Peter is a business consultant specialising in productivity improvement and strategic planning with an emphasis on the not for profit sector.
Peter is passionate about the education of the next generation and a keen rower, golfer and rugby supporter.
MS SONYA BEYERS, DIRECTOR
Sonya Beyers joined the IES Board as a Director in 2022. She is the Director of Governance by Design, a leading consultancy and advisory firm guiding boards to evaluate the governance, processes and legal frameworks in their organisation, redefine the director-board relationship and foster leadership from the boardroom.
Sonya also leverages her expertise as a qualified solicitor and experience across corporate and non-profit sectors to help directors gain focus, troubleshoot a range of issues and optimise organisational performance.
Sonya also sits on the boards of Southern Cross Care Inc (Tas), All About Living Limited, Affordable Housing Solutions Limited and The Forde Foundation. Her outstanding reputation in the NFP sector has also been recognised with a founding member appointment to Queensland Law Society’s Not-For-Profit Committee.
MR CHRIS EVASON, MANAGING DIRECTOR
Chris Evason was appointed as the Managing Director of IES at its inception in 1997. He has steered IES as one of the premier pathway institutions in Australia and provider of a range of online services to the industry worldwide to the development of the current senior high school.
Chris has presented at numerous conferences and workshops, focussing on addressing the need to further increase the professionalism of the industry and future trends.
MS CHERYL JOLLIFFE, DIRECTOR
Cheryl Jolliffe joined the IES Board in 2022 and has more than 20 years’ experience in higher education and has held senior leadership positions in international education across a number of Australian institutions, leading international market development and strategic partnerships. Cheryl is currently Vice President, Future Students at Bond University and is responsible for raising the University’s global reputation as a premium institution and study destination of choice.
Cheryl graduated from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) with a Bachelor of Mass Communication and has postgraduate qualifications in Executive Leadership from The University of Queensland (UQ).
MR GERARD VAN BALVEREN, COMPANY SECRETARY
Gerard van Balveren is the current CEO at IES College and he has served as the Company Secretary of the IES Board since 1999.
Gerard brings with him a wealth of experience in the fields of business and education, and his core values are deeply aligned with the college's objectives and achievements.