Darryl Stewart has been appointed Campus Director at CQU Melbourne International Campus, replacing Barbara Abou-Lehaf who has moved to the Sydney International Campus.

Mr Stewart initially joined Campus Group Holdings as General Manager of School Operations in 2001. He then went on to be Manager of Finance and Administration at MIC in 2002, before beginning in his new role as Campus Director in late January this year.

While reluctant to pigeonhole his management style, Mr Stewart likes to be seen as a member of the team rather than overtly directorial. He believes a good work environment is one where all staff members are happy and confident within their roles.

Mr Stewart is customer-service focussed and feels a high level of service is what makes CQU-MIC stand out among education providers.

“The strengths are the people that work here and the service we provide to students. I have a passion for customer service, I’m passionate about people ... people are obviously the priority; the processes are in place for us to do our job - to ensure that we are being effective in our mission of educating and graduating students.\".

Mr Stewart was conscripted into the Army for National Service and served as a Sergeant in Papua New Guinea with the Education Corps as a teacher. On his return to Victoria, he worked in a variety of leadership and managerial roles with Education Victoria before changing career paths and moving into retail management with Sportspower.

After joining the Sportspower Ltd Board of Directors in 1989, Mr Stewart acted as Chairman from 1990 until 1994. In this time he also spent a year on the Board of the Australian Sporting Goods Association. In 1995 Darryl established Traveller Sport Pty Ltd where he remained until joining CGH.

He has played VFL football for Fitzroy Football Club and spent three years as a Gisborne Shire Councillor.

Like all MIC staff, Mr Stewart enjoys the cultural diversity brought to the campus by such a broad international student base. Although he admits language differences can occasionally hinder communication between staff and students, he believes the principles of good service remain the same.

“I think we’ve got to treat each person as an individual, make them feel important ... be they international or not, staff or student.”.

Mr Stewart is now looking forward to the challenges ahead in what he feels is a varied and sometimes unpredictable role. He says the aim is to “continue to build the business both in terms of student numbers and quality of programs and services we provide.”.