RMIT University Vietnam welcomes new leader

RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Alec Cameron has recently announced the appointment of Professor Claire Macken as RMIT Vietnam’s new Pro Vice-Chancellor and General Director.

Professor Macken’s career spans both higher education and business, having held roles as Director of Education at KPMG, and as a leader at Apple, leading Higher Education and Industry engagement, as well as senior academic roles across universities in Australia. She is a renowned award-winning teacher, with an Australian Award for Teaching Excellence and an Australian Citation for her work in relation to Student Engagement. 

Professor Macken holds multiple degrees including a Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Certificates in Higher Education and Artificial Intelligence in Business, a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Law degrees with Honours. She also holds a Master of Business Administration and is the author of ten books and multiple book chapters and journal articles in both the areas of law and tertiary education.  

Within RMIT she has held the positions of: Executive Dean (Academic and Students) (Interim) at RMIT Vietnam and Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching in the College of Business and Law at RMIT University in Australia.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Cameron said since joining RMIT Vietnam, Professor Macken has already made a substantial contribution and created strong connections.

“Her passion for improving the student experience and building strong staff engagement, along with a deep appreciation for Vietnam’s progress and potential, makes her a natural fit to lead through this next stage of growth,” Professor Cameron said.

Professor Macken is very passionate about how education has the power to transform individuals and society because education is about both self and society.  

“Education is a huge part of my life and has changed my life,” she said. “It has taught me critical thinking skills and problem solving as well as discipline knowledge.”

“In Vietnam, I see that the government, and parents view higher education as a game changer. I see that RMIT Vietnam students are committed to their study and education, their parents are involved and invested in their education. There’s also a great student environment here, such as all the different clubs and activities that students lead and are actively involved in.”

With RMIT’s dedicated 22-year history in Vietnam and an ambition of being Southeast Asia’s leading university of impact, Professor Macken is looking forward to advancing the priorities of RMIT by developing strategic partnerships and alliances with government, business, industry, and other educational organisations.   

“RMIT is an international university of technology, design and enterprise, and RMIT Vietnam’s existence is to empower people and communities to adapt and thrive across generations with education, research and civic engagement that are applied, inclusive and impactful,” Professor Macken said.

“With our Vietnam campuses operating as the heart of RMIT’s regional network, we will partner with industry and government to create collaborative networks across Southeast Asia focusing on issues such as inclusive trade, women’s economic empowerment, smart and sustainable cities, regional stability and collaboration”.

Story: Ha Hoang