Monash appoints Nick Wailes to lead Business School and lifelong learning strategy
The UNSW Dean of Lifelong Learning will join Monash on November 30 as Executive Dean of Business and Economics, Head of Monash Business School and Strategic Advisor for lifelong learning
Professor Nick Wailes will join Monash University on November 30, 2026, as Executive Dean of Business and Economics, Head of Monash Business School and Strategic Advisor for lifelong learning
Monash University has appointed Professor Nick Wailes as Executive Dean of its Faculty of Business and Economics and Head of Monash Business School, adding a university-wide lifelong learning remit to the role.
Wailes will join the Australian university on November 30, 2026, and will also serve as Strategic Advisor (Lifelong Learning), working on the development, integration and advancement of lifelong learning across the Monash Group.
He moves from the University of New South Wales, where he is Dean, Lifelong Learning and Director of the Australian Graduate School of Management. His appointment gives Monash a senior leader whose recent work has combined business education with online programs, short courses and learning aimed at working professionals and enterprise clients.
Wailes was appointed UNSW’s inaugural Dean, Lifelong Learning in 2024. In 2025, the programs under that remit served more than 21,000 learners through short courses, fully online award programs and programs for enterprise clients.
From online degrees to university-wide lifelong learning
Wailes has spent 14 years at UNSW, holding a series of senior roles across its business school before taking responsibility for lifelong learning across the institution.
His work there included helping establish UNSW Online and developing specialist online master’s degrees. He was also involved in MBAX, an online MBA program launched in 2015.
Monash says he oversaw the revitalization of degree programs and short-course offerings at UNSW, with the university now looking to extend that experience across its own lifelong learning strategy.
In a LinkedIn post announcing his move, Wailes said he was looking forward to “continuing to contribute to the lifelong learning space” as he prepared to relocate to Melbourne.
His earlier university experience includes roles at the University of Sydney and the University of Auckland, while his academic research focuses on international and comparative employment relations and the impact of technology on organizations.
Business school role carries wider strategic remit
The appointment combines leadership of Monash Business School with a broader institutional role.
As Strategic Advisor (Lifelong Learning), Wailes will work with Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) and Senior Vice-President Professor Allie Clemans on Monash’s approach to lifelong learning across the university group.
Monash also says he will be involved in expanding the Faculty of Business and Economics’ partnerships and strengthening its links with industry.
Wailes will succeed Professor Simon Wilkie, who is moving to a research sabbatical, and will formally begin his three Monash roles on November 30, 2026.
