Mr Tom Steer

Executive Director of University of South Australia (UniSA) Online. Responsible for the establishment and operation of UniSA Online, with a particular focus on fostering a customer service culture to continually improve the experience of the students and help them achieve their career aspirations.

UniSA Online provides a suite of career-focused 100% online degrees. Each degree has been specifically designed for online learning and is delivered in an engaging and flexible way. The curriculum is research and industry informed and delivered through media-rich materials and by specialist teaching staff. Students can access the course materials whenever it suits them and all assessments are completed online. Courses are offered in 10-week blocks with 4 start dates a year - January, April, June and September. Students can access Academics and support services out of hours and on weekends, so they can get help when they need it.

Prior to joining UniSA, Tom was Chief of Staff for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Australia & New Zealand, a Fortune 50 company and global leader in IT products and services with a multi-billion dollar local business. In this role Tom was a member of the Country Management Team and drove a number of strategic initiatives across the business, focused on growth, communications and employee engagement.

Tom also headed up the Higher Education Sector for Hewlett Packard in Australia & New Zealand. In this role he led the establishment of the Strategic Partnership between HP and UniSA which included launching a new four-year honours degree program with 12 month paid student internships, as well as establishing the ‘Innovation and Collaboration Centre’ to support technology-based incubation and business growth. This partnership is seen as an excellent example of collaboration between the Public Sector, Private Sector and a Higher Education Institution to advance the interests of all parties, developing skills and creating jobs.

Previously, Tom has lived and worked in London and Canberra, undertaking a range of executive roles with large Public Sector customers.

Tom has a Masters Degree in Business Information Systems (MBIS) from the University of South Australia and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Qualifications

• Master of Business (Information Systems) University of South Australia

• Bachelor of Business (Information Systems) University of South Australia