Professor John Chelliah is a seasoned academic and human resources expert whose distinguished career bridges academia and the tertiary education sector. He currently serves as Professor and Chair of the Academic Board at the Institute of International Studies, a higher education provider with campuses in Sydney and Melbourne. In addition, he is an Adjunct Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, where he shares his extensive knowledge with postgraduate management students including research supervision.
Over the course of his academic career, Professor Chelliah has held several senior leadership roles, including Professor of Management, Acting Dean, and Director of Human Resources. His teaching and research have taken him across Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, and he has served as a visiting academic in China, Indonesia, and France. Beyond academia, he has delivered executive management training for leading corporations such as Mirvac, Westpac Banking Corporation, and Ford Motor Company through the consultancy divisions of the University of Technology Sydney and RMIT University.
Professor Chelliah earned his Ph.D. from RMIT University in Melbourne, reflecting his commitment to academic excellence. His other qualifications include a Master of Business Studies in Employment Relations from Massey University (New Zealand) and an MBA in International Management from Asia Pacific International University (New Zealand). He also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Quality Assurance and a Graduate Certificate in Multimedia Studies from Auckland University of Technology, a Postgraduate Diploma in Corporate Management from the University of Auckland, and certification as a trained company director from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
His research appears in esteemed international management journals and spans strategy, human resource management, change management, international management, supply chain management, and entrepreneurship. Before entering academia, Professor Chelliah gained extensive professional experience in senior management and HR roles across the UK, USA, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Australia — experience that continues to inform his teaching and research. His career reflects a lifelong dedication to connecting academic insight with practical management expertise.