AIE People

David has extensive experience in managing companies, particularly in the creative digital industries. David is the co-founder, Director and previous CEO of Dreamgate Studios, an award-winning mobile game development studio. He is also the founder and CEO of Game Plus, a specialised co-working space for game development studios, which is now Australia’s largest non-profit co-working space for game development studios in Australia. Additionally, he is a Director of Dems Entertainment, an Australian independent film production and finance company.

David holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Australian National University and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

As the COO, David is responsible for ensuring organisational requirements are met and optimising the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation in meeting its objectives.

Daniel has worked within the video games industry for more than 18 years and has more than 7 years’ experience in vocational education and training (VET). Daniel is also the co-founder and Director of Dreamgate Studios, an award-winning mobile game development studio.

Daniel is completing a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales, is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, and holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

As an Executive Director for AIE, Daniel assists managing operations to ensure AIE achieves its long-term strategic visions.

Michael has impressive engineering experience in designing and deploying large-scale heterogenous Mac, Windows and UNIX educational and enterprise environments. He has managed several projects for the NSW Department of Education and Training, the ACT Government, and businesses within the graphic design and film industry.

Michael joined AIE in 2014 and heads the IT Department. His multi-focused goals are to continuously improve inter-campus communication; ensure positive staff and learner IT experiences; lead the architecture design of AIE’s network, systems and future expansion; communicate challenges to executive staff and develop solutions; and build his already strong IT team through training and the implementation of effective policies, procedures and processes.

Neil Boyd has a distinguished career in education with AIE and in the NSW public education sector. Neil, a graduate of Sydney University, joined AIE In 2001 teaching the Diploma of Computer Game Development (Art). As Senior Teacher, Neil led the Game Development course, supported AIE’s teaching and learning as well as creating new curriculum and resources. This included developing and delivering AIE’s first online courses in 2004 along with writing and managing the accreditation of AIE’s Advanced Diploma of Professional Game Development in 2006.

Neil became Canberra Head of School in 2006 and established the Sydney campus in November 2008.  As Head of School Sydney, Neil continued to coordinate animation and game art curriculum and managed AIE’s national marketing efforts. Neil established AIE’s Incubator Program to support the growth of Indie games and animation studios in January 2012.

In 2012, Neil took up the position of Director of Business Development and Marketing to support and further grow the Academy within Australia and internationally.

Neil has also worked as a freelance graphic artist, web developer and game designer and produced games and animation for AIIA, University of Canberra, RAAF, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Neil has been involved on various boards, including the Game Developers Association of Australia and is an active participant in various state and federal digital media programs.

Casey has over 18 years event management and executive administration experience. She works within AIE’s executive leadership team to help facilitate the efficient operation and successful implementation of business goals, strategic plans and projects.

Casey originally joined AIE in 2002 as an events co-ordinator in AIE’s events division. She worked primarily on the Australian Game Developer’s Conference (AGDC), an annual conference, tradeshow, academic summit and networking event focusing on the future of games technology, development and design. She also worked on the Canberra Games Festival, a community event that focused on the art, identity and culture of games.

From 2005 to 2012, Casey was employed by Micro Forté Pty Ltd (MF) as John De Margheriti’s Executive Assistant. She played a key organisational support role during his time as concurrent CEO of MF Games Studio; its’ subsidiary, middleware developer BigWorld Pty Ltd; and Executive Chairman of AIE. After BigWorld was acquired in 2012 by Russian based Wargaming.net, makers of the hugely successful World of Tanks, Casey returned to AIE in a newly created projects-based role.

Qualifications

• B. Tourism Management (Major: Public Relations)
• Cert IV TAA

Matt has extensive leadership experience across education and commercial sectors. His previous work at Aura Labs gave him firsthand insight into the impact of AIE’s training and alumni.

Outside of work, Matt is a proud dad to three energetic boys and enjoys the lively pace of family life.

Maria has more than 20 years’ experience in vocational education and training (VET), 17 years of which have been in RTO management. Throughout this time Maria has and demonstrated her leadership experience across various VET sectors, including beauty and dermal therapies, community services such as mental health and counselling, and business management.

Her passion lies in driving success through communication and building relationships. Being an experienced trainer and assessor, she is particularly focused on enhancing the student journey to reach their end goal of completing their qualifications and securing employment. However, Maria believes this can only be achieved by having an inspired and cohesive team.

Maria has developed new industry leading qualifications by engaging with industry experts, using innovative approaches and ensuring education standards.

Maria also has a creative flare, albeit in the traditional arena. In 1999, she was commissioned by Ernst and Young to body cast 25 Australian Olympic athletes.

Mirriam is an accomplished Human Resources Officer with over 10 years’ experience in the industry. She has been with AIE since January 2016 and enjoys helping staff and ensuring that they have a positive working experience.

She is committed to creating a safe and comfortable work environment for AIE. Her expertise ranges from HR compliance work in accordance with Fair Work legislation, conflict management, internal and external staff recruitment, as well strong communication and organisational skills.

Mirriam holds a postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management; a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering; an Advanced Diploma of HRM; Computer Programming qualifications; and is currently undertaking a Graduate Diploma of Australian Migration Law and Practice. Her expertise comes from having worked in different industries on both a national and global scale. She has previously worked as a Senior Sales Coordinator for a Malaysian electrical, telecommunication and power cables company, a Senior Business Coordinator in a business process outsourcing company; and as a Human Resources and Licensing Officer for Casino Canberra.

James steps into the role of Director of Admissions at AIE, bringing with him extensive experience from the admissions team. Based in Canberra, James brings over 17 years of expertise in business development and sales, with a track record of success across the banking, telecommunications, and student support sectors. His leadership and insight into student needs make him a valuable asset as he leads AIE’s admissions strategy and supports continued growth across campuses.