Our vision: Reimagining online learning

Denice Pitt

Chief Executive Officer

Denice Pitt has been Chief Executive Officer of Online Education Services since the company was launched in July, 2011.  As CEO Denice is committed to delivering high quality, innovative online education while at the same time ensuring the company’s continued financial viability and growth.  Under her leadership, OES was named BRW Fastest Growing Company in 2015.

Denice brings to education a wealth of leadership experience, having previously served as President and Country Head of Aegis Australia.  Her prior roles include Vice President of Operations, Chief Operating Officer and CEO of the UCMS Group Ltd, as well as National Customer Service Manager of Optus.  These experiences inform not only the effective business functioning of OES, but also the outstanding customer service which is delivered to OES clients at every stage of the value chain.

Denice is equally committed to promoting a positive organisational culture for the OES team and supporting the balance of career and home for the staff.  Staff engagement for both in-house and offsite workforces has regularly been measured at more than 80%, qualifying OES for best employer awards on multiple occasions.

Denice is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and Board Member for Firbank Grammar School and Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) Ltd (RACV).

Mark Doughty

Chief Financial Officer

Mark Doughty has been Chief Financial Officer for Online Education Services since 2013 and is an experienced finance professional with a specialism in fast growth internet and technology businesses. Mark also has significant experience from the online learning environment having been Chief Financial Officer for several years at the UK based Interactive University.

Prior to OES, Mark spent three years as Chief Financial Officer of UK web business Cupid plc taking the business from its early stages through to London stock exchange listing and international growth.

Mark has further web environment experience from four years as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of ASX Listed mobile web content business Jumbuck Entertainment.

In 2012 Mark was shortlisted for UK Listed Company CFO of the Year.

Mark is also a PWC qualified Chartered Accountant.

Liz Malady

Executive Director, Human Resources

Liz is the Executive Director, Human Resources at Online Education Services (OES), having joined OES in April 2020. In this role Liz is accountable for setting the people strategy for OES to ensure the company delivers on its objectives of being a great place to work while maintaining high engagement and performance levels amongst staff.

Liz has expertise in developing and driving people strategies that transform customer and employee experience and deliver organisational goals. Liz has 20 years of experience as a leader in Human Resources in roles across a number of industries, including professional services, financial services, membership, education and corporate hotels and with organisations such as Deloitte, AMP and most recently, CPA Australia.

Liz is passionate about enabling people and organisations to thrive through fit for purpose people and culture solutions.

Liz holds a Bachelor of Business from Victoria University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resources from Deakin University and is a chartered member of the Australian Human Resources Institute (CAHRI).

Ivar Berget

Executive Director, Strategy

Ivar Berget joined Online Education Services (OES) as Executive Director of Strategy in 2017, and is an experienced strategy professional with a corporate, consulting and military background. Ivar brings strong skills within strategy development, implementation planning and general leadership and management to the team.

Prior to joining OES, Ivar spent over three years in the Strategy and Delivery Team at Coles Supermarkets Australia and worked for several years in management consulting with leading global management consulting firm, A.T. Kearney. His focus on consumer industries has driven a passion for real and positive customer outcomes.

Originally from Norway, Ivar served in the Norwegian Army and Norwegian Ministry of Defence for close to 12 years, leaving at the rank of Major. These positions encompassed a great amount of leadership, policy, strategy, and tactical planning and execution.

Ivar holds a Bachelor of Military Studies from the Norwegian Military Academy, a Master of International Affairs from Australian National University, and an Executive MBA from ESCP Europe and Norwegian School of Management.

Sue Kokonis

Executive Director, Academic

Sue Kokonis is Executive Director, Academic at Online Education Services (OES).

In this role, Sue oversees the educational portfolio spanning the design, delivery and quality assurance of over 50 programs across 3 partners. The quality of these programs have been endorsed by high student satisfaction ratings and external accrediting bodies such as TEQSA, APAC, ANMAC, CPA, FASEA, CAANZ, FPA, VIT, and NESA.

Sue is highly experienced in transforming learning and teaching and working with key academic stakeholders to achieve this.  Sue brings 25 years’ experience in tertiary education in face to face, blended and online environments. Sue has held academic leadership roles in Higher Education learning and teaching including Deputy Dean and Associate Dean.

Michael Smolders

Executive Director, Sales & Marketing

Michael Smolders is Executive Director Sales & Marketing having joined Online Education Services (OES) in June 2019. With a passion for consumer behaviour, Michael drives strong sales and customer satisfaction outcomes through his advocacy for business change grounded in consumer insight.

After spending more than 20 years in marketing and product management roles for leading brands across the education, financial services and retail sectors, Michael knows that successful business growth comes from genuinely putting the consumer at the heart of the decision making process, and by delivering seamless, memorable service experiences to consumers.

Michael’s achievements include launching new product suites generating up to $1b in revenue, and leading global marketing teams that delivered new digital education experiences to adult learners.

Prior to joining OES, Michael worked for leading brands including CPA Australia, ING Direct, Commonwealth Bank and David Jones.

Michael holds a B.Bus (Mkt) and MBA (Strat. Mgt), both with Charles Sturt University. Michael draws personal and professional inspiration from cultural travel, amazing food experiences, and the arts – as a member of Melbourne’s major theatre, opera, symphony and art institutions.

Claire Sadler

Executive Director, Growth

Claire Sadler is the Executive Director, Growth having joined OES in January 2021.

In this role, Claire is responsible for driving OES’s business development efforts globally (excluding the UK).

With a firm belief in the transformative power of education, Claire has spent over 13 years in business development at the nexus of higher education and industry. Claire has held a range of sales and leadership roles at the University of Melbourne and Pearson with experience across Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Claire has expertise in building and executing sales strategies, developing enduring client relationships, and crafting innovative solutions that deliver commercial growth and meaningful educational outcomes.

Claire holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce (Management), from the University of Melbourne.

Gavin Fleer

Executive Director - Partnerships (APAC)

Gavin Fleer joined Online Education Services (OES) in 2015 and is an experienced commercial operator within the education industry, with demonstrated expertise in building long-term, successful and sustainable partnerships. In his role as Executive Director, Partnerships APAC, Gavin is responsible for establishing new partnerships and for the health and growth of our existing university partnerships.

Prior to joining OES, Gavin worked for several years at SEEK, the world’s largest online employment marketplace. Gavin started in SEEK’s education division where he led the team responsible for developing and managing SEEK Learning’s education provider partnerships. Gavin then moved into the international team where he managed SEEK’s majority investment in Zhaopin, the leading online employment marketplace in China.

Before joining SEEK, Gavin was a lawyer at King & Wood Mallesons, specialising in commercial law.

Sacha Nouwens

Executive Director, Student Experience and Insights

Sacha Nouwens is Executive Director, Student Experience and Insights. An experienced analytics professional, Sacha is skilled at deriving dynamic insights from customer data. She combines this technical expertise with her passion for education to create positive student experiences.

Having joined OES in 2012, Sacha has contributed to the phenomenal growth of the company by analysing employment and higher education market trends and establishing OES’s Business Intelligence and Analytics function. Sacha gained first-hand experience of online education working as an eLearning Advisor and Unit Coordinator and, in 2016, established the Student Experience and Insights team, which has worked across all areas of the business to identify and deliver new initiatives and improvements for students.

Prior to joining OES, Sacha worked for 10 years in customer analytics, research and strategy within banking, insurance and the public sector.

Sacha holds a Bachelor of Technology (Information and Communication) from Macquarie University, a Graduate Certificate in Social Science (Environment & Planning) from RMIT, and a Diploma of Management from Swinburne University of Technology.

Matt Parker

Executive Director, IT & Operations

Matt is the Executive Director of IT & Operations for Online Education Services (OES). In this role he oversees the Information Technology, Student Services, Student Advisor and Student Placement teams. He was one of the original Executive Team members of OES.

Matt has extensive experience in the successful establishment and optimization of information technology and operational platforms through his various executive technology and operational roles at SEEK, Coles Myer and ABN AMRO Australia, and his time as a consultant for Price Waterhouse in the Financial Services sector in Australia and the United States. These roles involved broad strategic, delivery and operational responsibilities across Australia, the Asia Pacific and US regions.

Matt is particularly passionate about the role technology can play in online learning and support, and enjoys providing thought leadership and valued insights into the role evolving technologies can play to create a high quality student experience. He is also committed to championing the OES mantra of outstanding customer service throughout his teams in all their interactions with OES clients.

Andrea Burrows

Managing Director – UK

Andrea Burrows is Managing Director for Online Education Services (OES)’ UK operations. She is an experienced executive director with a track record in sales, growth and general management including strategy, operations, people and finance. In 2017, Andrea was named as a British Interactive Media Association Hot 100 in the CEO and Leaders category.

In her last role, Andrea worked as Managing Director of a UK top 20 design and build digital agency. The agency partnered with clients to define organisation-wide digital strategies, crafting mobile first digital experiences, building impactful brands and creating persuasive campaigns. Prior to this, Andrea has been instrumental in leading merger and acquisition processes for digital brands and management buy outs, where she was key in taking a company from a UK focussed agency to the headquarters of a global network and growing the business to a top three in the sector.

Born in the North East of England, Andrea studied at Cardiff University, Wales and after graduating with a first class honours, Andrea moved to London to work in media. In 2012 she completed a Global MBA at Durham University. Andrea is currently the Industry Advisory Board Member for Digital Leadership at the University of Aberdeen.