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Meet the SkillsIQ Team

The SkillsIQ team has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement and training product development. They specialise in the gathering and analysis of industry intelligence and have an in-depth understanding of the VET system and how the skills needs of industry are translated into training products that meet those needs.

Yasmin King

Chief Executive Officer

Yasmin is CEO of SkillsIQ. She has undertaken international consulting work for the governments of Peru, Vietnam and Thailand and for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Human Resources Committee, and has recently worked on APEC’s Occupational Standards for Travel, Tourism and Hospitality in the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Columbia, Peru and Mexico).

An experienced negotiator and mediator, Yasmin was formerly adjunct to the Australian Graduate School of Management, lecturing in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution.

Yasmin is currently the Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee and a Board member of the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association (AHHA).

Previous roles include having been the inaugural NSW Small Business Commissioner and the Associate Commissioner for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) with responsibility for small business, Board member of Micro-X and member of Macquarie University’s Global MBA Advisory Council and Centre for Workforce Futures Industry Advisory Committee.

Yasmin holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and an Honours degree in Economics. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD), a Fellow of CPA Australia (Certified Practising Accountant) and a member of the Resolution Institute.

Melinda Brown

General Manager

Melinda is the General Manager of SkillsIQ. She has over 20 years of experience across a variety of industry sectors, including tourism, travel, hospitality and retail, as well as a number of years of direct involvement in the Vocational Education and Training sector.

As General Manager, Melinda manages the Skills Engagement and Training Package Advisory teams, ensuring that the work being undertaken meets industry's current and future needs.  

A highly experienced project manager, Melinda's extensive experience in stakeholder engagement has seen her work on many consultancy projects both within Australia and internationally. She has in-depth knowledge relating to VET sector policy as well as skills and workforce development, including the development and maintenance of training package products.

Melinda holds a number of vocational qualifications in business and in training & assessment, as well as a degree in Tourism Management from UTS. She is an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

 

Silvia Muñoz

Head of Research

Silvia is an experienced senior researcher with 20 years’ research experience gained working both in agency and client-side roles in the UK and Australia. She is highly skilled at delivering large and small-scale research and evaluation projects for a range of clients including government departments and agencies, local councils, and private institutions.

Since joining SkillsIQ, Silvia has been involved in conducting a range of qualitative and quantitative studies, demonstrating key skills in project management, methodology design, focus group moderation, statistical analysis, insight development and reporting. Her recent achievements include developing a range of Industry Summary reports and Industry Skills Forecasts which have highlighted key workforce and training challenges for a range of service-based industries, including Health, Aged Care, Disability Support, Retail, Travel and Tourism, Hospitality and Personal Services.

Prior to working at SkillsIQ, Silvia worked in London for seven years as Manager of the Statistics and Survey Unit for an education-based not-for-profit organisation. She has worked as an Economist/Researcher for the Australian Government’s Department of Education & Training where she was involved in a series of research and policy projects.

Silvia holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland.

Liz Horne

Skills Engagement Executive

Liz is a Skills Engagement Executive and has managed a variety of complex projects during her time at SkillsIQ. She specialises in stakeholder engagement, workforce development and exploring new solutions for persistent issues relating to workforce needs and skills development.

Prior to joining SkillsIQ, Liz had over 25 years of senior leadership experience in the Sport, Recreation and Outdoor Education and Community sectors, including not-for-profits, peak bodies and national industry standards committees. She is equally comfortable with client facing roles and strategic planning and guiding operation implementation.

Liz is passionate about working with employers to understand their current and future staff needs, interpreting industry trends and finding short- and long-term solutions for workforce development.

Liz holds vocational qualifications Recreation, Business Management and Quality Auditing, and is an alumni of Social Leadership Australia (Sydney 2015).

Alex Cook

Skills Engagement Executive

Alex is a Skills Engagement Executive at SkillsIQ. She is an integral part of the team, providing assistance to the many Industry Reference Committees supported by SkillsIQ. She has experience across a range of industries including meetings and events, travel, tourism, hospitality and beauty therapy.

Prior to commencing with SkillsIQ, Alex worked in a variety of roles and industry sectors, including not-for-profit industry associations, conference and event management, corporate and client-facing roles.

Alex has vocational qualifications in hospitality and beauty therapy, as well as holding a Bachelor of Tourism Management majoring in Marketing.

Ian Rolfe

Communications and Marketing Officer

Ian is the Communications and Marketing Officer of SkillsIQ. He has over 7 years of experience as a marketing professional. In his current role, Ian is responsible for the coordination and administration of SkillsIQ’s communications and marketing activities. Prior to working at SkillsIQ, Ian gained experience working in the digital space with a variety of franchises and not-for-profit organisations, where he developed his online digital marketing skills.

Ian holds a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology Sydney, where he majored in Human Resources Management and Marketing.

Thomas Jurkiewicz

Researcher

Thomas is an experienced researcher and critical thinker with approximately 10 years’ experience in higher education and more recently in the not-for-profit sector. He is a highly capable interpreter of qualitative data and takes pleasure in excavating the detail of research questions, publishing and presenting at conferences internationally. His key skills include quantitative and qualitative research, interpretation of data, identifying key insights, attention to detail and writing.

In the time since joining SkillsIQ, Thomas has been investigating the economics and workforce characteristics of the care and support economy, working closely with key stakeholders and leading independent statistical analyses. Through this work, Thomas has developed an in-depth understanding of the workforce and training challenges faced by a number of industries, including attraction and retention issues faced by the care and support industry as a whole.

Previously, Thomas worked as a researcher at The University of Sydney, however he continues to teach at the university postgraduate programs in professional editing and writing. He also has long experience teaching in adult education settings both in Australia and abroad.
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy, a Master of English Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Sydney as well as a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales.