MEET THE INTERNATIONAL HOUSE TEAM

When students come to International House they get to meet and liaise with all of our management team who are supported by a team of onsite Senior Residents.

This management structure ensures an open door policy and that students always have someone to go to at any time of the day or night. Most importantly it ensures that as an organisation we continue to grow in our understanding of the requirements of international students and our commitment to providing the best on campus community for them.

Meet our Management Team below and our Senior Residents.

DR CARLA TROMANS

OUTGOING DIRECTOR

Carla has called International House (IH) home since 2003, and will depart IH as Director and CEO during Semester 1, 2024.

Professionally and personally, it has been a wonderful experience living and working in such a warm multicultural community of young adults. Our culture is one that brings individuals together to experience a rich life whilst attending and studying at university. We have risen above the challenges, and I look forward to seeing how the college develops over the next few years. It has been an absolute delight and pleasure to have been your Director for so many years. – Dr Carla

Prior to IH, Carla worked within the education industry as a secondary teacher, Head of Department & Deputy Principal, in various locations within Queensland and the Northern Territory. The final two years were spent as a project officer within the Workforce Capability Unit of Education Queensland.

Carla’s interest in the professional development of graduate teachers was realised through her doctoral thesis, completed in 2002. She has also gathered two masters’ degrees (one from UQ), one in administration, the other in curriculum. In particular, Carla enjoys catching up with former IH residents at organised Alumni events and being a brand ambassador for International House Brisbane. She is passionate about the community and enjoys the diversity and intellect of our young residents.

YOHAN NAIR

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Yohan Nair has been the Deputy Director at International House since 2011 and has proven to be highly regarded and respected both by residents and colleagues. Yohan is a key member of the senior management team and his primary function is to provide support to the Director with the pastoral care of residents. This includes responsibility for the management and administration of the college to deliver a productive and harmonious living and learning community within the college.

Unlike the traditional college admissions process, IH does not interview students before accepting them. Instead, Yohan enjoys connecting with residents after they have arrived, when they are more relaxed and themselves, to find out how they are settling in and what more IH can to do assist them. As Deputy Director, Yohan also coordinates the academic tutorial program and assisted by the Student Club (IHSC), manages the cross-cultural calendar. Yohan originates from Malaysia and prior to his life at IH was a professional golfer.

SELVA THAMBIAIYAH

ACCOUNTANT

Selva, a valuable addition to International House this year, takes on the crucial role of overseeing the organisation’s financial management. With a warm and dedicated approach, Selva’s primary objective is to safeguard the financial wellbeing of IH, ensuring its long-term sustainability and unwavering compliance with all relevant provisions.

Selva is from the nation of Sri Lanka and holds a profound love for cricket, language and culture. He is married to his beloved partner Laren and together they are blessed with two wonderful children.

YUKI KELLY

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Yuki Kelly has been our Office Administrator since 2007 and is the first point of contact for all students – this includes being the behind the scenes person responding to initial student enquiries from around the world and managing our admissions process. Originally from Japan, Yuki feels at home in the respectful, accepting and rich cultural environment that is International House. She is the epitome of politeness and calmness and enjoys helping people transition to life at IH. Yuki shares a love of football with her son and is a passionate Liverpool supporter.

KIM NEWBIGGING

BUSINESS SUPPORT OFFICER

A true blue Queenslander, Kim greets all our housies with a smile and is IH’s resident technical guru, always on hand to find a magic last minute solution for housies. Kim is a familiar face on UQ campus having worked as an IT Support Officer at Colleges Information Technology Group (CITG) for nearly 13 years, before being snapped up by Carla to bring her analytical skills and faculty contacts to IH. Kim enjoys travelling the world with her husband, the only thing she enjoys more is returning home to pick up her beloved cat Squeaky!

ZOE ROWAN

CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

Zoe started with the International House team this year and is responsible for all things customer service and social media. Born and raised in Brisbane, Zoe is a go-to for local points of interest, arts, and events, with a love for local productions and fun workshops. Zoe fills her time with dance, wrangling garden beds and trying a variety of new things. Having travelled broadly, she is thrilled by every opportunity to better understand different cultures, meet people from around the world and show photos of her cows.

PETER VON PETHELY

GROUNDS AND MAINTENANCE OFFICER

Born in Esperance Western Australia, Pete, our Grounds and Maintenance Officer, began his career as a Storeman for a construction company in 1973. He trained as an apprentice carpenter in 1974 and has been plying his trade for over four decades. Pete is married to Alex and they have one son, Nicholas. Pete is mad about gardening and his green thumb can be seen all around IH in our lush gardens, especially “Little Tuscany” herb garden behind the Director’s residence and the IH citrus garden where he loves to tend our harmless native bees.