Our Leadership
Spend your next few years studying at a center of intensive scholarship and taking advantage of our multidimensional academic experience.
Board of Directors
Kalum De Silva
Kalum De Silva is an experienced Private Equity professional in Australia.. Kalum is the Managing Director of Southern Cross Capital, and he is on the boards of many other businesses in Artificial Intelligence, IT and Education including his role as the Managing Director of Australasian Academy (AA).
Kalum has qualifications and experience covering mergers and acquisitions, business development and finance having graduated from QUT, Brisbane with Master of Business Administration and Master of Professional Accounting degrees. Kalum is a fully qualified Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) in Australia.
Further, he was instrumental in setting up the Sri Lanka Australia Chamber of Commerce as the Founding President. In his many roles he adds value as an astute operator with an ability to develop and execute strategy and achieve impact with local partners and global networks.
Ms. Naima Markar
Director/Academic Director
Naima Markar is a passionate educator and has been active in the education industry for over 15 years. She has extensive qualifications including a Bachelor of Education (Adults in the Workplace) and a Master of Business (International Business) from Queensland University of Technology, Australia as well as a Diploma in Business Administration and Management and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
In the role of Academic Director, Naima is responsible for the educational programs that AA is conducting. She coordinates with our partner institutions around the world to implement training programs to cater for various needs of the Hospitality Industry. She also work with the Sri Lankan Hospitality Industry to design tailored programs to suit local needs.
Naima brings with her a wealth of experience in teaching Business, Management and Leadership at University, International Colleges, Private Colleges and Industry in Australia, Sri Lanka, and China. These cross-border experiences have strengthened her ability to communicate in different cultural environments, ensuring effective communication with students from different cultural backgrounds.
Sujendra Mather
Mr. Sujendra Mather currently holds office as the Managing Director – Corporate Finance at PwC Singapore, prior to serving as the CEO and Head of Investment Banking of Asia Securities Holdings Pvt Ltd. He also served as the co-founder and Managing Director of York Street Partners Pvt Ltd, a leading boutique Investment Banking firm. Mr. Mather possesses over 20 years of experience specialising in Investment Banking and Corporate Finance, during which he was employed at esteemed institutions such as Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin, John Keells Holdings PLC and Deloitte & Touche Corporate Finance in the US, Sri Lanka and Singapore respectively.
Mr. Mather has been instrumental in leading and managing Mergers, Acquisitions, Fund raisings, Restructurings and Strategic Advisory transactions amounting to billions of dollars in the North America and Asia Pacific regions across the Consumer, Retail, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Real Estate, Hospitality, Infrastructure, Technology and Mining sectors. He has also provided his expert services as an advisor to CEOs and entrepreneurs on key strategic issues across different sectors.
Sujendra received a B.A. in Economics-Mathematics from Claremont McKenna College in California, USA and also completed a Wharton Executive Education Program on Economics of Blockchain and Digital Assets.