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Governance Overview

JMC Pty. Limited (ACN 003 572 012) is registered with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission as an Australian Proprietary Company, operating under a standard Corporations Law constitution, as per the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). Dr J Martin Cass established the operation in 1982 and subsequently incorporated JMC PTY. LIMITED in 1989. JMC Academy is the trading name for the Company and operates in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The Charter establishes the foundation of JMC Academy’s (JMC) higher education services by providing a clear governance framework for the corporate and academic activities of JMC, ensuring it meets relevant external standards and legislation, including:

  • Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021, as established by sub-section 58(1) of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act 2011),
  • Higher Education Support Act 2003
  • Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000,
  • Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Regulations 2001,
  • National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code), ELICOS National Standard
  • Standards for VET Regulators, and
  • VET Quality Framework.

All JMC Academy staff are responsible for ensuring the efficient performance and high-quality provision of the higher education delivered by JMC Academy. The governance of this provision is the responsibility of the JMC Board, formally appointed committees, sub-committees and working parties.

JMC Academy’s governance structure includes the following:

  • JMC Board, and its sub committees
    • Risk and Audit Committee,
    • Academic Board,
      • Academic Board Executive Committee,
      • Learning and Teaching Committee,
      • Curriculum Design and Delivery Committees
      • Course Advisory Committees,
      • Scholarship Committee,
    • Working Parties
View Our Governance Structure

JMC Board

The JMC Board has oversight of JMC Academy’s funding, strategic direction and management.

The functions of the JMC Board are to:

  • Establish and monitor the pursuit of the vision, purpose and strategic objectives of JMC Academy, by developing, maintaining, promoting and monitoring the implementation of JMC Academy’s Strategic Plan,
  • Establish and maintain an institutional environment in which freedom of speech is upheld and protected, students and staff are treated equitably, the wellbeing of students and staff is fostered, informed decision making by students is supported and students have opportunities to participate in the deliberative and decision-making processes of JMC Academy,
  • Oversee and review the management and performance of JMC Academy,
  • Develop, maintain, promote and monitor the implementation of JMC’s Risk Management Framework, to ensure adequate risk management measures are in place in all areas including financial reporting, internal control systems, risk management, business continuity, fraud prevention and the internal and external audit functions, and that risks to higher education operations have been identified and material risks are being managed and mitigated effectively,
  • Ensure the JMC Board and JMC Academy at large meet their legal and compliance obligations, including the requirement to maintain a true record of the business of the governing body and JMC Academy, as set out in the Company Constitution, the Corporations Act, Higher Education Standards Framework and Standards for VET Regulators.
  • Establish and periodically review the quality assurance framework and arrangements to guide the JMC Academy’s educational and business functions within a culture of continuous improvement and receive regular reports on the implementation of quality assurance mechanisms,
  • Define roles and develop, implement and regularly review a register of delegations as is necessary for effective governance, policy development and management and monitoring the implementation of those delegations, including:
    • Establishing and delegating appropriate authority to the Academic Board as the academic governing body, appointing its members and maintaining oversight and receiving reports of its activities and performance,
    • Establishing and delegating appropriate authority to the CEO as the role responsible for the efficient conduct of JMC’s day to day business and maintaining oversight and receiving reports of the CEO’s activities and performance,
    • Establishing and delegating appropriate authority to the Risk & Audit Committee as the body responsible for oversight of the risk profile and risk management of JMC Academy within the context of the JMC Board’s determined risk appetite,
    • Establishing and convening Working Parties as the Council may consider necessary for the conduct of its business, approving their terms of reference, receiving reports and overseeing their work, and disestablishing these parties if it deems that they are no longer required.
  • Exercise financial oversight of operations to ensure JMC Academy has sufficient funds to maintain financial viability and sustainability for its ongoing operations and meet all legislative and regulatory requirements,
  • Approve major submissions made by JMC Academy to external regulators, including for example (but not limited to):
    • Applying for re-registration as a higher education provider,
    • Applying for accreditation/re-accreditation of higher education courses,
    • Applying for re-registration as a CRICOS provider, and/or
    • Statutory reporting to the Department of Education and the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency,
  • Monitor the occurrence and nature of formal complaints, allegations of misconduct, breaches of academic integrity and critical incidents and ensure action is taken to address underlying causes,
  • Undertake (at least once in any registration period longer than four (4) years or otherwise in the year preceding expiry of registration) independent reviews of the effectiveness of the governing body and academic governance processes and ensure that the findings of such reviews are considered and that agreed actions are implemented,
  • Oversee JMC Academy’s policy framework, noting delegations of policy making responsibility in some cases,
  • Support participation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
View JMC's Statement of Financial Standing

JMC Board Members

Clark Perkins
Chairman

Clark founded Mercury Capital in 2010 and is the Chairman of the Mercury Capital Funds and the Chief Executive of Mercury Capital, the Manager of each Fund.

Clark has worked in investment markets for over 30 years, which includes over 20 years of private equity experience. He was Head of the Merchant Banking Division of Goldman Sachs JBWere, and Executive Chairman of GSJBW’s Private Equity Funds, Hauraki No 1, Hauraki No 2 and Trans-Tasman PE Fund. Total of 14 years with GSJBW, including Director of GSJBW Australia, member of the Management Committee, and Chairman and CEO of GSJBW NZ.

Clark is Chairman of Tamaki Health, director of TEG, ResourceCo, Re.Group, Architectus, Findex and JMC and board observer in E&P Financial Group.

Clark holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland.

Dr. Martin Cass
Director

Martin founded JMC Academy in 1982 and has remained staunchly dedicated to lifting the quality of education and training in the Creative Industries. Martin launched Australia’s first ever accredited courses in Audio Engineering (1991), Multimedia (1996), and Digital Television (2000) in an industry still relatively new to the opportunities and prospects of a Creatively-driven multi-media explosion within an environment traditionally.

Martin is or has been a member of multiple accreditation and advisory panels across the higher education, vocational training, creative industries and philanthropic sectors including: 

  • Chair Acpet 2010-2016
  • Acpet NSW 2001 benchmarking sub-committee 
  • Acpet NSW 2003 higher Education sub-committee.
  • VETAB accreditation panels of various private providers and TAFE.
  • CREATE Australia advisory panel for the development of Music and Entertainment industry Training Packages.
  • CREATE Australia advisory panel for the development of Music Industry competency standards.
  • Various Arts Training NSW advisory panels 
  • The curriculum advisory panel for the Graduate Diploma in Design Science (Audio), Sydney University Faculty of Architecture.
  • AUSMUSIC education advisory panels  
  • Australian Contemporary Music Institute ACMI panel 
  • Papers and Seminars
  • Delivery of “Innovation and Creativity – sunk without a trace” paper at the 2006 National Acpet conference. 
  • Opening address at the International Association for the Study of Popular Music Conference 2006
  • Mater Dei Foundation Committee member (Fundraising for children with disabilities)
  • Presented documentation to the Federal inquiry into the future opportunities for Australia’s film, animation special effects and electronics games industries. July 2003

Mr Robert Peile
Director

A chartered accountant in public practice, Robert provides specialist advice and consultation to small and medium enterprises on business, financial counselling and management issues; Australian taxation law practice; accountancy advisory; corporate insolvency, recovery, reconstruction and intensive care and self-managed superannuation.

Robert is a chartered tax advisor, registered company auditor, liquidator, tax agent, self-managed superannuation auditor and acts as an external examiner to the Law Society of New South Wales. Robert has served on the JMC Academy Governing Council since 2005.

Joshua Constantinis
Director

Joshua has a combined 12 years of private equity and investment banking experience including four years at UBS, Australia before joining Mercury Capital in 2016.

Joshua is currently a Director of JMC, Matrix Education and Green by Nature

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law (First Class Honours) from Monash University (Melbourne)

Mr Rod Camm
Director

Rod has over 30 years’ experience in tertiary education, developing expert knowledge of policy, federal and state responsibilities, governance, institutional operations, management and regulation Rod engages on complex policy issues and has expertise in leadership, strategy, policy, change management and in facilitating innovation and opportunity through organisational design. Rod applies data analytics and interpretation to policy challenges in public administration, tertiary education, industry skills development, vocational education and training (VET) in schools and international education.

Rod has been leading significant organisational change for much of his career and possesses a unique range of experience as chief executive officer (CEO) of government agencies, statutory bodies, government-owned corporations, and private sector organisations including:

  • CEO, ACPET
  • CEO, Skills QLD
  • MD, NCVER
  • Director, Aviation Australia
  • Director, TVET
  • Associate Director, General QLD Dept of Education and Training
  • CEO, Construction Skills Qld.

Emerita Professor Grady Venville
Chair, Academic Board & Director

Emerita Professor Grady Venville is an accomplished university executive with more than a decade of experience at the Australian National University (ANU) as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) (2019-2025), and at the University of Western Australia (UWA) as Dean of Coursework Studies (2013-2018).  Grady’s most significant achievements have been innovative curriculum projects in both institutions that elevated unique institutional attributes and differentiated the educational offerings.   

As Deputy Vice Chancellor at ANU (2019-2025), Grady led crucial projects for the university including successful CRICOS and TEQSA re-registration in 2024 and the university’s educational response to the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021).  Grady undertook transformational change at ANU with the implementation of a new learning management system (2025) and the development and implementation of ANU’s first Gender Equity Strategy (2024).  Grady’s consultative and conciliatory approach resulted in successful resolution of significant challenges such as a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus in 2024 and organisational change required to meet budgetary targets in 2024.  Grady embraces complex organisational problems, for example, she effectively led the rapid advancement of the University’s approach to the prevention and response to sexual violence on campus at ANU from 2023.   

Grady has been a full professor since 2007 with an outstanding and award-winning academic career in the field of science education. She has an international research profile with eight books, more than 100 peer reviewed publications and multi-million-dollar funding from the Australian Research Council.  Grady’s popular, co-edited university textbook, the Art of Teaching Science, is now in its third edition.   

Grady has extensive experience on university committees including as co-chair of the ANU Academic Promotions Committee (2020-2023), chair of the UWA Curriculum Committee (2012-2017), and deputy chair of the UWA Academic Board (2010-2011).  Externally, Grady has considerable experience, for example, as a member of Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts (2012-2014), and as a judge for the WA Department of Education Best Secondary School Award (2014-2017).  Grady’s board experience has included chair of the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) Management Committee (2014-2017), non-executive director on the Universities Admission Centre (UAC) Board (2019-2025), the ANU Enterprise Board (2022-2025), and the Scitech Board (2013-2018). 

Joshua Patience
Director

Previously an Associate in the Investment Banking Division of Rothschild & Co, Australia before joining Mercury Capital in 2018

Experience advising corporate and financial sponsor clients across power, utilities and infrastructure sectors

Involved with investments into Fiftyfive5, Are Media, ResourceCo, E&P, Tamaki Health and Re.Group and currently serves on the board of Tamaki Health and JMC

Holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland