Bachelor of Business (Hospitality Management)

• PhD in Management (University of Queensland)
• Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (Australian Catholic University)
• Masters of Business Administration (University of Queensland)
• Graduate Diploma in Teaching – Secondary (QUT)
• Bachelor of Arts (UQ)

"As the Director of Innovation, Industry, and Employability (DIIE), I act as the catalyst for innovation and lead the development of the Hospitality faculty’s industry relevant courses at Torrens University. In addition, I am responsible for ensuring we achieve our student employability goals, by aligning industry engagement and overseeing the continual progression of our courses as trends in the industry change.
Hospitality education needs to be engaging, industry relevant, and enjoyable. After all, we are preparing graduates to work in an exciting and global industry – and our courses and student experiences should be reflective of this. I have an amazing team of Success Coaches, Industry Consultants, Learning Designers, and Campus Directors that bring this vision to life.”
While attending university, Anthony was awarded the prestigious Corporate Management Traineeship with IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), which he completed at the Holiday Inn Sydney Airport with a focus on Front Office Management. Upon graduation, Anthony ventured into the world of hospitality by working in hotel operations with the Accor group.
In 2006, Anthony moved into the education arena with a range of international colleges in Sydney and was quickly promoted to management posts within the academic field. Anthony was the Head of Academic Studies for before moving into his current role as Director of Innovation, Industry and Employability. Anthony is in a unique position of having current, high quality industry experience, industry qualifications, and academic experience which he combines to ensure that all William Blue students graduate employable.

• Masters of Business Administration
• Bachelor of Business (Hospitality Management)
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

• International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education (THE-ICE)
• Australian Association of Hotel Schools
• Hospitality Industry Advisory Board, Torrens University Australia
• Chair – Hospitality Employability Council, Torrens University Australia

Rakkitha has over 12 years’ experience in the industry, with specialized expertise in the areas of hotel management, food and beverage operations, front desk management and hospitality training and assessing. He is astute in identifying areas in need of improvement, with the vision to develop and implement successful action plans. Rakkitha’s hospitality experience spans over time spent in Australia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and the Maldives.
What started as various roles in food and beverage in hotels across Sri Lanka built to Rakkitha taking on the role of Food and Beverage Executive at Eden Resort and Spa. This role involved the management of the resort’s seven food and beverage outlets, as well as managing operations, HRM, finance and marketing. Working at the Eden Resort and Spa then lead to Rakkitha having the opportunity spend time at IHG’s Kandooma Fushi Resort in the Maldives, before returning to Sri Lanka to join the executive team at the Royal Palms Beach Hotel.
In 2010, Rakkitha expanded his academic knowledge by studying an MBA (Business) at the Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College. Moving to the UK opened up a plethora of opportunities in the hospitality industry, which saw Rakkitha spend time with numerous hospitality establishments; Holiday Inn Royal Victoria, The Beauchief Hotel, and Best Western Cutler’s Hotel to name a few.
In 2015, an executive guest relations position with Hilton Worldwide saw Rakkitha move to Australia, where after over 2 years in the position, he made the decision to move into the areas of vocational and higher education, spending time with the International College of Advanced Education in Darwin, before joining the William Blue team in 2017. Rakkitha is an asset to the academic team at William Blue, and is currently a learning facilitator and lecturer in hospitality, teaching face to face and online courses.

• PhD (Current Student)
• Master Business Administration
• MSc International Hospitality Management
• Diploma TAE
• Post Graduate Diploma (Marketing)
• Advanced Diploma of Hospitality (Hotel Management)

Jarrod began his career working for Marriott International Inc. Jarrod spent five years working for Marriott International in food & beverage, front office & guest relations at properties in Circular Quay, Parramatta & London. After a successful career in hotels, Jarrod moved into a corporate training role at Laureate Australia, developing resource and facilitating training across Australia and online. Jarrod began teaching at William Blue in 2014.

• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
• Bachelor of Business (Hospitality Management) at Western Sydney University
• Le Cordon Bleu Master of Gastronomic Tourism at Southern Cross University
• Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 2

Kirsten has over 15 years of international hospitality experience, with stints working in Asia, Europe and Australia. After beginning her front of house career of traditional restaurants in Japan. Kirsten soon transferred her skills to the hotel industry and has worked in various roles in food and beverage, night audit and reservations. Kirsten continued her career with the Accor group in a general manager role at Ibis hotels in the UK and then in Sydney. After many years of conducting workplace training, Kirsten moved into hospitality management education five years ago and is currently a program manager for higher education.

Post Graduate Certificate in Education Bachelor of Business (Tourism Management)