Associate Professor Kristina Nicholls

Faculty: School of Business
Position: Head of School - School of Business, Course Coordinator – Master of Business Research
Contact: knicholls@mit.edu.au
Campus: Melbourne

Bio

Whether in front of a lecture theatre filled with students, managing a team of academics, or dealing with the complex regulatory framework related to education, Dr. Kris Nicholls brings a practical, educative, and passionate approach to her professional life.

Kris commenced her professional teaching career as an art teacher with the Victorian Education Department. She moved on to pursue a career in the hospitality and tourism industry. Within this capacity, Kris managed and operated a multiple-award winning up-market hotel in Melbourne and personally won several national industry awards for marketing and hospitality operations. She served on the Council of the Australian Hotels Association for four years.

Kris has had an extensive career within the education sector. She has held varied roles such as the Head, Hospitality, Tourism and Cookery with the Gordon Institute TAFE in Geelong and worked with RMIT as a Lecturer in Marketing and Management teaching locally and in Hong Kong and Singapore. After RMIT, Kris joined Kaplan Business School as the National Lecturer in Charge of Marketing, Management and HR and took on the role of National Academic Director in 2011. Her role expanded to encompass the academic guardianship of the Kaplan owned Carrick Education, and Franklyn Scholar Groups. Kris held several key strategic leadership roles with Kaplan including Kaplan Australia’s Director, Quality & Compliance and General Manager, Learning and Development.

Prior to returning to Melbourne Institute of Technology as Head, School of Business, Kris was most recently the Director, Academic Integrity [DAI] with Torrens University Australia, and was responsible for academic integrity across Torrens and its associated schools in Australia and New Zealand. Within that role Kris initiated the inaugural Australian Academic Integrity Network Forum 2021 and is the current national winner of the 2023 Tracey Bretag Academic Integrity Award. Prior to her promotion to DAI, Kris was the Associate Dean, Business and Hospitality at Torrens University.

Kris’ philosophy in education, is that students are not numbers but are clients and that their life-long journey of learning should be both personally rewarding and industry relevant. She shares her passion for education, learning and academic integrity with her students and peers.

Kris’ hobbies include light aircraft touring, entertaining and live theatre. She actively supports the Fight Cancer Foundation, is a member of Women on Boards and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Qualifications

Graduate - Australian Institute of Company Directors
Graduate Certificate of Learning and Teaching, Education - Torrens University Australia
Doctor of Business Administration - Victoria University, Australia
Master of Business Marketing - RMIT University, Australia

Teaching

n/a

Experience & Research

Torrens University Australia

  • Director, Academic Integrity (Mar 2021 - Aug 2023)
  • Associate Dean, Business & Hospitality Faculty (Apr 2019 - Mar 2021)

Melbourne Institute of Technology

  • Head, School of Business  (Jan 2016 - Apr 2019)

Franklyn Scholar

  • General Manager, Learning & Development (Mar 2014 - Nov 2015)

Kaplan Australia

  • Director, Quality & Compliance (Oct 2013 - Mar 2014)

Kaplan Business School

  • National Academic Director (Jul 2011 - Sep 2013)
  • National Lecturer in Charge - Marketing, Management & HR (Jul 2009 - Jun 2011)

RMIT University

  • Lecturer in Marketing (Feb 2000 - Jun 2009)

Publications