Meet the Team

Hon Phil Honeywood

Chief Executive Officer

Phil has been IEAA's Chief Executive Officer since November 2011. Previously, he was a Member of the Victorian State Parliament (1988–2006), Minister for Tertiary Education, Training and Multicultural Affairs (1996–1999) and Deputy Leader of the Opposition (2002–2006). Since retiring from politics, Phil worked at Stott’s Business College and Cambridge International College. Phil is the Convener of the National Council for International Education, Chairman of the Roundtable of International Education Peak Body CEOs and a member of the Tuition Protection Service Board. He also sits on the New South Wales, Queensland and StudyPerth International Education Advisory Boards. Phil is a Board member of the Bennelong Philanthropic Foundation and the Bangarra Group Board.

[email protected]

Media enquiries: 0409 964 363

Christine Fyfe

General Manager

Chris brings to this role 20 + years’ experience working across international markets in the VET, Pathways and University sectors. Chris’ most recent international education responsibilities have included, but have not been limited to, building up a network of international offices for the University of Melbourne to international program building for Trinity College, The University of Melbourne. Chris is an experienced stakeholder relationship and business network manager and is looking forward to working with the international education community.

Andrew Tijs

Communications and Professional Learning Manager

Andrew brings over twenty years of experience in communications, marketing, and digital content delivery. He has held senior communications roles with Asia Society Australia, Creative Partnerships Australia and The Australia-Indonesia Centre. Prior to these roles, he was appointed the inaugural Editor of Google Play Music for Australia and New Zealand, and has decades of journalism and copywriting experience for a wide variety of publications both in print and online. He holds a Bachelor of Marketing and Communications from the University of South Australia and was awarded the Prize for Excellence in 2019.

Andrew Whyte

Professional Learning and Events Coordinator

Andrew has more than a decade of experience in managing major events. Starting his career in Canberra, he graduated with a diploma in Event Management from the Canberra Institute of Technology in 2011. The following year he worked as a Venue & Event Coordinator at Old Parliament House. Moving to Melbourne in 2015, he worked as an Event Coordinator at the Australian HR Institute, successfully delivering virtual, hybrid and in-person conferences for thousands of attendees over five years.

Elizabeth Lee-Finkelstein

Professional Learning and Programs Coordinator

Hailing from Indonesia, Elizabeth has lived and studied in 4 different countries before migrating to Australia in 2019. With Elizabeth's passion for international education and helping others to succeed in the world of work, she will support IEAA in the administration of the Fellowship program and professional learning modules. Elizabeth has a wealth of experience in international student support and considers herself lucky to live out her passion with the international education community here in Australia. Prior to joining IEAA, Elizabeth held various roles at the University of Auckland, Coder Academy and RMIT Online.

Cindy Lu

Administrative Officer

Cindy joined IEAA in 2008. Her responsibilities include database maintenance, finance and membership administration. Prior to IEAA, Cindy lived in Beijing where she worked in human resource management at Airbus Industries and in administration and event management at Ketchum China. Cindy is fluent in Mandarin and has an MBA from Swinburne University of Technology.