What begins as a lively conversation at AIEC quickly becomes something much deeper. In this episode, Tanya Perera reflects on migration, mentorship, values, and the quiet experiences that shape a life in international education. From arriving in Australia from Sri Lanka at 13, to navigating identity, leadership and belonging, Tanya brings warmth, insight and more than a little humour to a conversation that ranges from pub quizzes to professional purpose.

Highlights include:

• Tanya’s journey from Sri Lanka to Australia

• Her thoughtful take on purpose and profitability in international education

• The mentors who shaped her career

• Why she sees this sector as a place of inclusion and possibility

• A very entertaining explanation of how she became a pub quiz legend

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Gelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website.

This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au

In this episode of the Koala News Global Horizons podcast, Dirk Mulder and Rob Malicki unpack another big week in international education.

They discuss the ongoing uncertainty around student visas, why inconsistent decision-making is creating real problems for providers, and what that could mean for institutions in the months ahead. They also touch on the Queensland Exporters Conference, some of the latest thinking around AI and productivity, new moves in student accommodation accreditation, and the value of initiatives like the upcoming Study Melbourne International Student Careers Fair.

They’re then joined by Ian Pratt from Lexis English, who brings a grounded, direct perspective from the front line of the sector. Ian talks about what the past five years have looked like for English language and vocational education providers, the commercial and human impact of policy instability, and why some of the biggest consequences of recent changes may not show up in the data for years. He also reflects on regional delivery, student demand, and why investment decisions are increasingly being pushed offshore.

Highlights include:

• why visa subjectivity is becoming such a major issue for providers

• what universities may need to prepare for if current patterns continue

• key takeaways from the Queensland Exporters Conference

• a new national approach to student accommodation quality

• Ian Pratt’s take on what recent policy settings are doing to ELICOS, VET and regional Australia

We are incredibly proud to be the ⁠⁠⁠OFFICIAL podcast of the AIEC Australian International Education Conference. This is the conference's 40th anniversary and is being held in Sydney, so it's going to be bigger and more impactful than ever... and AIEC not to be missed!

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Gelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host.

The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia’s unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au

Naresh Gulati has been in international education since the mid-90s. He helped build one of the largest education agencies in India, then founded BPO Intelligence, and now is driving the rise (pun intended) of Ascent One, a modular ecosystem designed to reduce admin chaos by helping systems talk to each other.

But instead of giving you a standard “here’s how I scaled” playbook, this conversation offers something more human: a philosophy for staying steady when business, and life, get messy.

It's a very personal conversation with one of Australian international education's leading entrepreneurs.

In this episode, we get into:

• Naresh’s early story, including failing Year 10, selling candles on the roadside, and what those years taught him about resilience

• Why he makes decisions largely on gut feel, and how that’s shaped every business he’s built

• The “leaf on the river” metaphor, float, bump into rocks, rest when you reach shore, then move again

Rob also brings in something many listeners will recognise, that 3am spiral where your brain turns into a to-do list machine. Naresh’s response is simple, practical, and surprisingly hard to argue with: stress rarely solves the problem, it usually just doubles it. From there, they explore the difference between happiness and contentment, why we get used to carrying tension, and what awareness actually looks like when you are in the middle of a tough season.

You’ll also hear:

• Why schools teach competitiveness, but rarely teach stress management, and what that costs later

• A grounded take on collaboration, and why “me versus them” thinking leaves opportunities on the table

• A personal COVID-era moment that reminds you everything changes, even the hardest chapters

If you want an episode that feels like a deep breath, without pretending the world is easy, this is it.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Angelo Ablao.

Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au