Ian Aird – Chief Executive Officer
Ian has more than 25 years’ experience in the international education industry. He has experience in every aspect of ELICOS where he started as a teacher, a CELTA trainer, and a DoS before working across sales and marketing, admissions, IT, and then executive management.
Ian also ran a consulting firm for five years. The firm offered services ranging across strategy development, mergers and acquisitions, financial performance improvement, research (market analysis and economic impact studies), regulatory reform and compliance, as well as executive and sales coaching. The firm’s clients included federal, state, and local government bodies, industry peak bodies, and education providers from universities to multi-nationals to small family operations.
Ian’s corporate governance experience includes previously sitting on the English Australia Board for 6 years, the advisory board of StudyNSW, and serving as non-executive Chair of a not for profit for 5 years. Ian has a Graduate Diploma in Law and graduated the AICD Company Directors Course with an Order of Merit, an MBA with Distinction, and a Masters in Professional Education. He also completed the CELTA and DELTA.
Sophie O’Keefe – General Manager – Operations
Sophie O’Keefe has been since 2014, originally as the Head of Professional Development and now as General Manager – Operations . She is a leader in the field of professional development and works with a wide range of industry stakeholders to support initiatives that aim to raise standards of excellence for the sector. Stakeholders she works with include government agencies, peak industry groups, testing bodies, companies that provide services and products catering to International Education, industry experts and leaders, as well as English language and tertiary institutions and their staff.
As part of her role in driving quality and innovation in ELICOS, Sophie heads up a variety of key English Australia initiatives including the English Australia Journal, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Action Research Program, Guides to Best Practice in ELICOS, Continuing Professional Development Framework and annual English Australia Conference. She is passionate about bringing people together to form collaborative communities of practice and she convenes diverse sector-wide working groups and systematically supports professionals to share their knowledge and expertise with the ELICOS community.
Sophie has 20 years of experience working in English language teaching education as a teacher, academic manager, and professional development expert. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (French and Aboriginal Studies) from the University of Sydney, a CELTA, and a Master of Education (TESOL) from the University of NSW.
Rachel Winton – Professional Development and Communications Coordinator
With over two decades of experience in English language education, Rachel has taught across a wide range of contexts both in Australia and internationally. She has also mentored new teachers, contributed to curriculum development, and worked as an IELTS examiner. Her approach is grounded in a passion for high-quality, learner-centred education and a commitment to supporting professional growth across the ELICOS sector.
Rachel also brings a strong foundation in communications, content creation, and digital media to this role at English Australia. She has worked as a photographer, social media coordinator, and website manager, producing engaging multimedia content for a range of platforms and audiences. This unique combination of skills enables her to craft clear communication to promote professional development and support sector-wide engagement. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and English and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, and she is fluent in Italian.
