We are very pleased to welcome Professor Mark Loon to UniSC as the new Dean of the School of Business and Creative Industries.

Professor Loon brings a wealth of experience in academia, strategic leadership, and industry engagement. He is currently a Professor in Management Studies and the Head of the Department of Business Strategy and Innovation at Griffith University. He also serves as a Visiting Professor at the University of Northumbria in the United Kingdom.

In the United Kingdom, Professor Loon held significant leadership roles, including Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise and Assistant Dean for Research and Innovation at Bath Spa University. He has been actively involved with the British Academy of Management, most recently as Co-Vice Chair.

Professor Loon is renowned for his engagement initiatives. He has judged the Premier’s Awards for Excellence representing Griffith Business School and served on expert panels for the Queensland Government's Department of Youth Justice, Employment, Small Business and Training. Additionally, he is a non-executive member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Standards and Regulation Board and chaired the Human Capital Standards Committee with the British Standards Institute over a 4-year tenure.

He is a Chartered Manager and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, and a Chartered Scientist with the UK Science Council. He has received numerous accolades, including the BAM Medal for Knowledge Development in 2022.

At Bath Spa University he supported research in the business and creative industries for the UK’s Research Excellence Framework 2021. He also facilitated interdisciplinary projects including enterprise mapping for cultural and creative industries in Bath and Bristol. He contributed to securing grants for creative industries including the Bath and Bristol Creative Research and Development project, as part of the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council Creative Industries Cluster Program.

As an experienced educator, Professor Loon has collaborated with universities worldwide and has a strong expertise in digital learning environments. His leadership in doctoral studies is extensive, with successful supervision of numerous PhD candidates and participation as an external examiner for doctoral programs globally. He is a Principal Fellow of the HEA.

Before his academic career, Professor Loon had a successful tenure as a management consultant with firms such as Ernst & Young, Cap Gemini and KPMG, providing consulting services in strategic management, corporate governance, and organizational development.

He holds two doctorates, a PhD and a DBA, along with an MBA specialising in finance. His diverse and rich background makes him exceptionally well-suited to lead our School of Business and Creative Industries.

Professor Loon starts with us in October. We are looking forward to supporting him as he leads the School of Business and Creative Industries into the future.