Headquarters:

Daisy Hill

Year founded:

1982

Number of employees:

More than 500

Phone:

07 3826 3333

Email:

hr@jpc.qld.edu.au

Website:

jpc.qld.edu.au

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/school/john-paul-college

“Everything we do as an organization is to serve our agents in a meaningful way, which is to provide industry-leading insurance solutions when they need them the most”

Mark Maher, Jencap

JOHN PAUL COLLEGE

Craig Merritt

Principal

Mark Zietsch

Deputy Principal – Head of Secondary

Lindsay McQuattie

Deputy Principal – Head of Primary

Leadership

Craig Merritt was appointed as the sixth principal of JPC in 2023. His teaching and learning experience in co-educational schools spans more than 30 years. Before commencing at JPC, he was the principal of St Luke’s Anglican School in Bundaberg. After graduating from the University of Queensland, Merritt began his teaching career at Ipswich State High School before moving into leadership positions at Hillbrook Anglican School and Whitsunday Anglican School. He is committed to academic excellence, inclusive and diverse leadership within a modern multifaith context, and building a strong sense of community. Merritt’s wish for all JPC students is for them to feel empowered to develop a strong sense of positive character, to be optimistic, to excel, and, ultimately, to be an instrument of positive influence in their communities.

Principal

Craig Merritt

Mark Zietsch has more than 25 years of experience in independent school education, beginning his teaching career as an HPE and science teacher. For the last 20 years, he has served in leadership positions including head of year, head of house, head of middle school and deputy principal. He commenced at JPC in 2012 as head of middle school, fulfilling this role for seven years prior to his appointment as deputy principal – operations and now deputy principal – head of secondary. In his current role, Zietsch provides support to the principal across K–12 with specific responsibilities for the extensive co-curricular programs (sports, activities and performing arts), the Christian ecumenical program, and is a key liaison with the Parents and Friends Association. In addition, he has experience as a board director in the not-for-profit sector (community and education) and currently serves on the board of an independent school in Brisbane. Zietsch is passionate about the holistic education provided by JPC and believes every student has a pathway to success within an environment of high expectations and high support.

Deputy Principal – Head of Secondary

Mark Zietsch

Since commencing at JPC in 2011, Lindsay McQuattie has undertaken a number of leadership roles, including Year 5 team leader, primary curriculum leader and dean of pedagogy – primary. She holds a master of leadership in curriculum and pedagogy and is a well-respected International Baccalaureate PYP workshop leader and school visitor. In 2020, she was appointed head of primary while continuing in her role as a workshop leader in the International Baccalaureate Education Network. Graduating from the Queensland University of Technology, McQuattie commenced her teaching career in West London, followed by five years teaching at the Australian International School in Singapore, where she was first introduced to the International Baccalaureate Organisation. In recent years, she has completed a master of leadership through Monash University, which has given her greater insight into leading pedagogical and curriculum change and innovation. With a career spanning two decades, McQuattie’s educational philosophy is underpinned by the belief that every student has the ability to achieve individual success and excellence within a culture of high standards and high expectations. As a student-centred leader, she encourages all members of the school community to be active, engaged participants in their own learning experiences. Her leadership focuses on both the learners and the learning of the school, demonstrating ethics of care and justice within inclusive learning environments.

Deputy Principal – Head of Primary

Lindsay McQuattie

“Everything we do as an organization is to serve our agents in a meaningful way, which is to provide industry-leading insurance solutions when they need them the most”

Mark Maher, Jencap

“Our team has successfully executed on an aggressive acquisition and integration plan over the last few years, which has contributed greatly to our strong market position”

John Jennings, Jencap

Read on

Award Winner

Leadership

SPECIAL REPORT

Home

Bio

“Our team has successfully executed on an aggressive acquisition and integration plan over the last few years, which has contributed greatly to our strong market position”

John Jennings, Jencap

“Everything we do as an organization is to serve our agents in a meaningful way, which is to provide industry-leading insurance solutions when they need them the most”

Mark Maher, Jencap

Read on

Award Winner

Leadership

SPECIAL REPORT

Home

Bio

Norm Kerley

Deputy Principal – Culture and Compliance

Norm Kerley has been a teacher since 1983 and has held positions of leadership since 1985. His early career featured principalships in rural Queensland, and he has a passion for the education of rural and remote students. His position as principal at Blackall State School afforded him the opportunity to work within a Prep to Year Twelve context, and this continued with positions at Townsville Grammar School and then JPC. He founded the Junior School in Townsville, where he developed the campus over 10 years before taking on the Head of Primary School role at JPC in 2007. Since that appointment, he has also held the positions of deputy headmaster, acting headmaster and deputy principal. Kerley has a strong interest in most sports, movies and literature and enjoys travelling with his wife. Their younger son, Lachlan, is a 2010 graduate of JPC. His wife, Vanessa, is also a teacher and teacher-librarian working within the area of Indigenous education, an area that they regard as crucial to the nation’s future. He established a college for deputy principals and senior leaders to promote dialogue and support between colleagues in SE Queensland. Kerley has a strong interest in leadership development and is keen to foster the skills and aspirations of leaders, both students and staff.

Deputy Principal – Culture and Compliance

Norm Kerley

David Ferguson

Director – John Paul International College

David Ferguson has been working in the International Education and Training (IET) industry since 2007, beginning his career as an English second language teacher. With a wealth of experience both abroad and in Australia, he leads John Paul College’s international operations and John Paul International College. After joining John Paul College in 2016 to manage international study groups, Ferguson served as the deputy head of international operations from 2019 to 2022. In 2023, he was appointed director of John Paul International College. Ferguson taught English as a second language in New Zealand and Germany while studying linguistics and language acquisition. Following his five years in Germany, he embarked on further studies in the fields of education and business administration at the University of Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology. At the start of 2023, Ferguson began serving as the chair of the Education Working Group for the Australia China Business Council QLD Branch. In 2021, he was the first person to be awarded Master Practitioner status by the National ELICOS Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) and is a NEAS endorsed English Language Teaching Professional. Ferguson’s leadership delivers data-led solutions that are customer centric, removing barriers and creating positive outcomes for overseas students and their families. He is an enthusiastic contributor to IET discourse communities at conferences and networking events.

Director – John Paul International College

David Ferguson

John Paul College (JPC) is a Christian, ecumenical and value-driven organisation that was founded in 1982. It delivers a contemporary, co-educational curriculum grounded in traditional values from early learning to Year 12, with the following values central to all that happens:

“Our team has successfully executed on an aggressive acquisition and integration plan over the last few years, which has contributed greatly to our strong market position”

John Jennings, Jencap

Edward Lai

Head of insurance

Steve Campbell

Executive Director

Rhonda English

Chief Marketing Officer

Evelyn Peng

Chief Risk Officer

Edward Lai is the head of insurance for EverBright Finance. He believes putting his clients first and maintaining the highest level of professionalism on their behalf is a must, and this has never steered him wrong. He brings the greatest degree of experience to his clients by listening to their needs and working diligently with them to implement a comprehensive, customised plan that is unique to them. His specialty lies in life risk insurance such as life, trauma, disability income protection, TPD and medical coverage. His clients would describe him as an honest, helpful, passionate and detail-oriented person.

Head of insurance

Edward Lai

Steve Campbell followed his father into insurance broking. He loved the diversity of clients and their businesses. No matter how much there is in common, there are always unique aspects to how they work and the people that run them. That is what a broker needs to understand. Otherwise, how can they advise? By the time one has done a detailed risk analysis, they’ll know everything about the business – its operations, finances, people, and future direction – which is a perfect place to advise from. “I found broking to be a deeply satisfying career and loved to help clients solve their business problems, of which insurance was the easy one,” he says. What makes Campbell such a great chairman is his experience, problem-solving abilities, and a detached perspective that enables him to see the bigger picture. These qualities also make him an ideal mentor and guide for such a dynamic executive team. He is a devoted West Coast Eagles fan and a happy, doting grandfather.

Executive Director

Steve Campbell

Rhonda English is a CPA, CMA and obtained her Honors Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and her MBA from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario. Rhonda joined CM Club Group as vice president of insurance, then took the role of vice president corporate marketing, overseeing business insights & analytics and the acquisition and retention of the CM lines of business. In 2016, she was named chief marketing officer, taking on additional responsibility for travel and membership product, digital, and the government & community relations advocacy team.

Chief Marketing Officer

Rhonda English

Evelyn Peng started at CCG in 2017 as director of risk management and now serves as the chief risk officer for the organization. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Waterloo. She has extensive experience with enterprise risk management, specializing in operational risk management, and financial risk management. Evelyn is a Chartered Accountant and a Financial Risk Manager.

Chief Risk Officer

Evelyn Peng

Chief Risk Officer

Evelyn Peng

Chief Risk Officer

Evelyn Peng

SPECIAL REPORT

Home

Bio

Read on

IB Top Brokerages

Award Winner

Earlene Huntley

Group Chief Financial Officer

Melissa Abramowitz

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

Melissa Abramowitz has been practicing corporate and commercial law for over 20 years, with an emphasis on the financial services industry. She joined CAA Club Group in 2014, and currently serves as the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer of CCG and its affiliated companies. At CCG, Melissa provides strategic legal advice on a broad range of matters including corporate governance, licensing, distribution, marketing and advertising, commercial contracts and regulatory compliance. She holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (B.CL) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from McGill University and a Certificate in Regulatory Compliance for Financial Institutions from Osgoode.

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

Melissa Abramowitz

Earlene Huntley joined CAA in 2014 as director, tax and was promoted to AVP, tax in 2016, and to her current role as group chief financial officer of CAA Club Group in February 2017. In her role, she is responsible for all aspects of finance. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies where she earned her BSc. Accounting (Hons) and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in the United Kingdom.

Group Chief Financial Officer

Earlene Huntley

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Group Chief Financial Officer

Earlene Huntley

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

Melissa Abramowitz

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

Earlene Huntley

Group Chief Financial Officer

Earlene Huntley

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

Melissa Abramowitz

Medal

Hospitality

Fast Starter

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Turnaround time – claims

BDM support

Broker communication, training and development

Overall service level

BDM support

Medal

Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Hospitality

Fast Starter

linkedin.com/school/john-paul-college

mutual respect integrity compassion excellence

All members of the community – staff, students, parents, contractors and volunteers – are held to these values as a collective to follow the college’s purpose – to educate, to inspire and to make a difference. Located in Logan, 20 minutes south of Brisbane’s CBD, it is a truly independent, standalone college that operates under its own governance and is free of any systemic institutional oversight to set its own strategic agenda. JPC delivers co-education grounded in traditional values. It creates opportunities and pathways for all students to excel, develop character and become world-ready within a culturally diverse and inclusive community. Its impressive remuneration policies, employment practices, professional development activities, proactive leadership enhancement opportunities and work environment are superior to peer schools, as evidenced by its recognition in The Educator’s 5-Star Employer of Choice list for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023. Under the previous principal, Karen Spiller, OAM, JPC transformed its academic outcomes for students and entered the post-pandemic era financially strong with an ambitious facilities development program underpinned by strong student enrolment growth. Current principal Craig Merritt is building upon 40 years of rich JPC history; he is an accomplished community builder and possesses a highly relational leadership style. In 2018, the college board and leadership collaboratively developed the strategic intent for the college around five pillars:

learning community people innovation sustainability

In addition, the college is pursuing an agenda of academic strengthening to improve the academic and educational outcomes for all students. As a non-selective institution, JPC caters to a diverse community. Improved academic outcomes achieved through high-impact classroom teaching have positioned the college well, attracting growth in enrolment.