Global leadership team

Marisa Mastroianni is Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of UOW Global Enterprises. Marisa is an experienced CEO and non-executive Director.  UOW Global Enterprises mission is to deliver on UOW’s ambition to be a global network through development and operation of offshore campuses and pathways to university. 

UOWGE has helped thousands of students from over 110 countries excel in their higher education journeys. Since 1993, UOW Global Enterprises has grown to become one of Australia's most unique and successful global providers of tertiary education programs encompassing Vocational, Diploma, Associate Degree, Bachelors, Masters and PhDs delivered from our own campuses located in key international areas. 

Marisa also currently serves on the Boards of NRMA Ltd and is Chair of NRMA’s Audit & Risk Management Committee. Marisa is also member of the Venues NSW Illawarra Regional Advisory Committee. Previously Marisa has held senior financial and executive roles the in the maritime, health, retirement and aged care sectors. 

Current roles within UOWGE include: 

• Managing Director and Group CEO of the UOW Global Enterprises Board 
• Member of the UOWGE Nominations Committee 
• Chair of the UOWGE Diversity and Equity Committee 
• Director of the UOWC Board 
• Member of the UOWC Ltd Academic Board 
• Director of the UOWD Board 
• Member of the UOWD External Advisory Council 
• Member of the UOWD Academic Board 
• Member of the UOWD Ceremonial & Honorary Awards Committee 
• Member of the UOWCHK Board of Governors 
• Member of the UOWCHK College Council 
• Member of the UOWCHK Investment Advisory Committee 
• Member of the UOWCHK Property Advisory Committee 

As the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director Corporate Services for UOW Global Enterprises, William is responsible for Finance, Performance Management, Business Assurance and Risk. 

William has over 20 years of experience in finance, audit and risk management roles across multiple sectors including Audit and Assurance services, FMCG and Consumer Goods. 

Prior to his current role, he was the Group Financial Controller for UOW Global Enterprises. 

William is a member of the Netherlands Institute of Chartered Accountants (NBA) and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. 

Kath McCollim joined UOW Global Enterprises in February 2018 as the Executive Director Business Transformation. Her primary focus was leading and overseeing the implementation of major integration and changes within the organisation, while also having a broader focus on capability uplift and innovation. She was responsible for managing the business transition and integration projects including project management and change management activities across the organisation. This included system transformation at UOW Hong Kong; and the acquisition and transition in of UOW Malaysia.

In early 2021 Kath took up the position of Executive Director Global Student Recruitment. With a global network of campuses spanning four countries UOW has been well positioned to take a global approach to international student recruitment under a framework managed by UOW Global Enterprises, under Kath's leadership. The framework is underpinned by a hub and spoke focus. A global recruitment team at each campus, supported by in-country representatives in strategically targeted markets, is responsible for recruiting international students from its surrounding region, to all campus locations in the UOW network.

From mid-2024, Kath has taken on the additional responsibilities of Executive Director Business Development. In this capacity she is providing executive leadership to the new UOW India campus, driving its early growth from start-up to stand-up.

Kath is an experienced organisational change agent with 30 years' experience in strategic roles in both the private and public sector. This encompasses leadership positions in steel manufacturing, consulting, health insurance and higher education. Prior to joining UOW Global Enterprises, Kath was the Director, Business Improvement and Assurance for the University of Wollongong.

Kath holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Employment Relations and a Master of Commerce in Management for which she won an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award. She has industry qualifications in Mediation, Agile Project Management and Lean Six Sigma. Kath is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Louise Silvestri joined UOW Global Enterprises in 2014 initially focused on business development through acquisition, and is currently the Executive Director Business Transformation. Her primary focus is leading and overseeing the implementation of major integration and changes within the global organisation, while also having a broader focus on capability uplift and innovation. She is responsible for managing the business transition and integration projects including project management and change management activities across the organisation. 

Louise has a broad skillset and experience, with strong business knowledge across due diligence, business case development, project and change management, financial modelling, process improvement and system design and implementation. Louise has a financial management background and has held leadership positions in a number of industries including finance, mining, early childhood, not for profit and higher education.  

Louise holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration, is a Certified Practicing Accountant, as well as Certified Associate in Project Management PMI. 

Since 2003, Christian has been a faculty member in the School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering at UOW, where he is currently a Professor. He leads research in audio, speech, and acoustic signal processing, and is a member of the School’s Centre for Signal and Information Processing (CSIP). His research includes work on microphone array processing for directional sound enhancement, spatial audio for virtual reality (VR), and the analysis of classroom audio to better understand student learning.

Christian has held several key leadership roles within UOW. From 2016 to 2021, he served as Associate Dean (International), overseeing the Faculty’s international education and research initiatives. In 2022, he was appointed Associate Dean (Research), managing the Faculty’s research strategy and portfolio. Later that year, he became the interim Director of the SMART Research Institute, leading a multidisciplinary team focused on infrastructure systems research.

Since September 2023, Christian has also served as Dean of Global Academic Affairs at UOW Global Enterprises, where he is responsible for academic governance, course portfolio innovation, quality assurance, and research activities across UOW’s global campuses.

Christian Ritz graduated with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Mathematics (both in 1999), followed by a PhD in Electrical Engineering (2003), all from the University of Wollongong (UOW), Australia. His doctoral research focused on efficient speech signal compression for mobile telephony.

For more information, visit: Christian Ritz – UOW Scholars.

Kerrie joined UOW Global Enterprises (UOWGE) in October 2023 as Executive Director of People & Culture. She brings extensive experience across the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, having held senior executive roles including Chief People Officer, Head of Corporate Services, and Chief Operating Officer.

Prior to joining UOWGE, Kerrie led her own consulting practice, advising a diverse portfolio of clients across multiple industries. Her breadth of expertise and strategic insight align closely with UOWGE’s mission and vision for the future.

Kerrie’s executive leadership has spanned strategic, operational, and functional areas such as organisational and leadership development, senior executive coaching, talent management, cultural transformation, diversity and inclusion, employee and industrial relations, systems integration, corporate communications, strategic planning, governance, and audit and risk management. She has also worked in partnership with universities to develop programs that drive meaningful organisational change.

With a strong commitment to people and culture, Kerrie plays a key role in shaping an inclusive, high-performing, and values-led workplace across our global enterprise.

Professor Mohamed-Vall M. Salem Zein was appointed President of the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) in January 2015, a role that sees him focused on driving initiatives to strengthen the position of UOWD as a leading academic institution in the UAE and the wider region. Professor Salem initially joined UOWD in 2004 and has since worked alongside the 320 employee-strong staff body in a number of leadership roles, including as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences and a ten-month period as Acting President of the University.

Prior to his appointment at UOWD, Professor Salem worked as a software engineer for several years in both public and private sectors in Mauritania and Canada and undertook a wide range of combined research projects with industry in both the UAE and Canada.

His areas of interest and expertise are in both technical and non-technical aspects of computing, including, but not limited to, software engineering, performance analysis, scalability, innovation and ethics in information technologies.

Professor Mohamed Salem received his PhD from the University of Montreal (Canada) in 2002 and is a recipient of IBM’s Centre for Advanced Studies PhD fellowship and the "Bourse d’excellence de la Francophonie" from the Canadian International Development Agency.

Key Roles and memberships include:

University of Wollongong Pro Vice-Chancellor Middle East and North Africa [PVC(MENA)]
Founding member of the Council of Deans of Engineering in the UAE
Chair of UOWD Education Committee
Chair of UOWD Research Committee

Ms Jennifer Ng is CEO Asia and is responsible for overseeing the operations of UOW Malaysia. Prior to this, she was named the first Principal of UOW College Hong Kong (UOWCHK) and held the role for 15 years. Jennifer has more than 20 years of extensive experience in the strategic planning of business models and development for self-financing higher education units.

Jennifer’s leadership was instrumental in the successful transformation of UOWCHK from a publicly-funded institution to a self-financing entity in the early years of its establishment, handling complex staffing issues along the way with a large scale migration of staff. In the lead-up to UOWCHK’s stewardship under the University of Wollongong, Jennifer played an important role to enable the transition to come into being.

Before joining UOWCHK, Jennifer was an Associate Director at the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong (HKU SPACE). She was the Acting Principal of the HKU SPACE Community College between 2000 and 2002 when it was first founded.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and a Master of Social Science in Economics from the University of Hong Kong. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and that of the Hong Kong Institute of Marketing, and is a Chartered Marketer of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. She holds accounting qualifications as a Certified Management Accountant (Australia), and a Member of the Institute of Public Accountants.

Key Board, Committee and Membership roles for Jennifer include:

Director, UOWM Sdn. Bhd. Board
Director, UOWM-PCB Joint Board for UOW Malaysia
Director, UOW Malaysia College Sdn. Bhd. Board
Chair, UOW Malaysia Management Board
Member, UOWGE Board of Academic Governance
Member, UOWCHK College Council
Member, UOWCHK Property Advisory Committee
Served as Subject Specialist on The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ)

Felix Lanceley was appointed as General Manager of UOW College Australia in August of 2019.

Prior to this, as Director of Student Services and Academic Registrar of the University of Wollongong in Dubai, Felix had oversight of the University’s core administrative and student services units, as well as the University Library and Student Residences. He also acted in the capacity of interim Director of the UOWD Language Studies Centre.

Felix’s first association with UOW College was as Manager of Student Services, a post he occupied from 2009 to 2016. During this period he had oversight of all elements of the College’s student services including academic advising services, homestay, cohort management, orientation and graduation.

From 2002 to 2009 Felix spent seven years as Assistant Director of Studies and subsequently Director of Studies at a large English language college, based in three campuses across Sydney. His role there was to oversee the academic running of each campus.

Felix commenced his career as an ESL teacher through which he gained considerable teaching experience both internationally and in Australia.

Felix has tertiary qualifications from the University of New South Wales, the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Queensland. He is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Key Board, Committee and Membership roles include:

Committee member and Chair of the UOW College Education Committee
Board member and Deputy Chair UOW College Academic Board
Ex Officio Member of the UOW Education Committee
Ex Officio Member of the UOW Academic Senate
Member UOW Strategic Course Development Committee

Bharat Mehra is the Head of Strategy at UOW Global Enterprises, where he leads the development and execution of strategic initiatives across both core and emerging market segments.

Before joining UOW Global Enterprises, Bharat held senior leadership positions at L.E.K. Consulting and The Parthenon Group. With over a decade of experience in the education sector, he has successfully led more than 100 projects across 20+ countries. Bharat has been a trusted advisor to leading universities, educational companies, and investors, with deep expertise in the GCC, Southeast Asia, India, LATAM, and the EU.

Bharat’s consulting experience spans across a broad range of areas, including buy-side and sell-side due diligence, market-entry strategies, pricing models, business and financial planning, full potential assessments, and policy reviews. He has worked extensively with education investors and operators to identify growth opportunities, develop post-acquisition business plans, and optimize performance and profitability.

Bharat holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Indian School of Business (ISB Hyderabad) and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Pascal Adolphe is the Executive Director, Business Innovation and Global Partnerships at UOW Global Enterprises, leading commercial initiatives, business growth, and innovation efforts that drive collaborative global partnerships.
 
Before joining UOWGE, Pascal held senior leadership roles at major organisations, including NAB, MLC, Dun & Bradstreet, and Ernst & Young, as well as global firms such as Experian and Gartner. His hands-on leadership style and deep understanding of business dynamics enable him to deliver impactful solutions aligned with long-term growth objectives.
 
Beyond his career, Pascal is committed to community engagement, serving in advisory and non-executive board roles with organisations such as the Blockchain Philanthropy Foundation and the Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Centre.
 
Pascal holds an Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) and professional qualifications, including an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) and Membership of the Institute of Certified Management (MICM).

Deeksha joined UOW Global Enterprises in December 2024 as General Counsel, responsible for the provision of accurate legal, regulatory and governance advice and management of risk. She leads a team of legal and regulatory professionals and oversees legal issues in the UOWGE group’s multi-jurisdictional operating environments.   

Deeksha is an accomplished senior commercial lawyer with extensive experience in business partnering and providing legal advice across service groups, developing and ensuring compliance with risk management policies and managing complex contract negotiations. She has built high performing teams, with a key focus on legal functions and operations. Deeksha has a proven track record in enhancing operational efficiency and achieving commercial outcomes. 

Prior to joining UOWGE, Deeksha was Deputy General Counsel at Cochlear Limited. She has also held senior legal roles in the financial services and engineering industries. Deeksha also acts as legal advisor on a not-for-profit organisation which caters for those with spinal disabilities. 

Deeksha holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney.