Profile
Some of Jeremy Otto’s proudest career moments began in the drama and theatre classroom, where he saw firsthand the impact education can have on a young person’s confidence, creativity and sense of possibility. That experience has remained a constant thread throughout his career.
Trained as a drama teacher, Jeremy’s path has since expanded well beyond the classroom, shaped by opportunities to bring people together, build community and contribute to education in new ways. Today, as Director of Community Engagement and Advancement at Westbourne Grammar School, he continues to be guided by the same curiosity, energy and belief in the potential of people.
Asked about his approach to his current role and his career more broadly, Jeremy gives much the same answer for both. “I approach both with curiosity, energy and a willingness to keep learning,” he says. He brings a strong sense of purpose to his role while remaining collaborative, adaptable and comfortable working across different groups to build momentum.
“I have always believed a career should keep stretching you. I am drawn to opportunities that challenge my thinking, introduce me to new people and allow me to contribute in a meaningful way,” he adds.
For Jeremy, leadership starts with never assuming he has all the answers. “It has always involved a willingness to keep learning.” I try to be curious, admit when I do not know something and surround myself with people who bring different strengths and perspectives,” he explains.
That mindset has helped shape one of his strongest professional qualities: the ability to bring people together around an idea and turn it into something tangible. Among his proudest achievements is building strong teams and creating the conditions for others to succeed.
Change across the education sector has defined the past year, both in Australian and international contexts. Schools are navigating new technologies, shifting community expectations and mounting pressures on staff, while working to keep students and learning at the centre. “This has made connection, trust and strong leadership more important than ever,” Jeremy says.
One of the ongoing challenges is balancing the immediate demands of a busy school with the longer-term work of strengthening relationships, reputation and community across his portfolios. “I try to stay clear about what matters most, listen closely to people and avoid letting urgency crowd out the work that will have an impact.”
Jeremy takes a similarly collaborative view of influence. “I do not think influence is about having the loudest voice. Often, it is about bringing the right people together, asking good questions and helping an idea gain momentum,” he says.
He believes education is strengthened when schools connect with one another, share expertise and create opportunities for students that extend beyond the classroom and build lasting connections. Being named to The Educator’s Hot List for 2026 is, in his words, “very humbled by the acknowledgement,” but recognition is not what drives his work.
“The motivation has never really been recognition,” he says. “I enjoy the work, I care deeply about education and I am fortunate to work with people who constantly challenge me to think differently and do better. Progress rarely comes from one person having all the answers. It comes from creating the conditions where people feel confident enough to contribute, experiment and lead.”
300 Sayers Road, Truganina, VIC 3030
03 9731 9444
info@westbourne.vic.edu.au
linkedin.com/school/westbourne-grammar-school/
westbournegrammar.com
Jeremy Otto
Director of Community Engagement and Advancement
Westbourne Grammar School
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Bio
Milestones
2006–2015
2015–2016
2017–2022
2022–2025
2025–Present
Progressed from Secondary Teacher and Head of Year to Head of Middle School at Victoria Shanghai Academy, leading middle-years operations, staff development, wellbeing, accreditation and co-curricular programs in an international school context
2006–2015
Appointed Curriculum Manager, Consultant and Global Lead Educator with the International Baccalaureate Organisation, supporting curriculum, implementation and professional learning across global education networks
2015–2016
Appointed Dean of Teaching and Learning at Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology, leading curriculum, pedagogy and professional learning in a high-performing selective school context, before moving to Santa Maria College as Deputy Principal, where he led strategy, operations, wellbeing, policy, compliance, staffing and stakeholder engagement
2017–2022
Appointed Director of Teaching and Learning at Westbourne Grammar School, leading whole-school improvement, professional learning, academic strategy, curriculum innovation, AI-enabled learning and research partnerships
2022–2025
Appointed Director of Community Engagement and Advancement at Westbourne Grammar School, leading admissions, marketing, communications, philanthropy, alumni, partnerships, international engagement and whole-school growth initiatives
2025–Present
Milestones
“I know this seems pretty simple, but [my philosophy] is always doing what’s right for clients and not what is best for me”
Collin Bruce,
Dominion Lending Centres
“I had to crawl my way out of debt and build up my mortgage business. I never forget that feeling, and I try to never take a new lead for granted. Every deal counts”
Collin Bruce,
Dominion Lending Centres
The professional philosophy that underpins all of it is strikingly basic – and Bruce knows it. “I know this seems pretty simple,” he says, “but always doing what’s right for clients and not what is best for me. I never have to worry about something coming back to me from a previous client.”
He has helped clients through years-long credit rehabilitation without earning a cent along the way. He has never placed a client in a product he wasn’t prepared to fully stand behind. The result is a practice built on trust generating its own momentum: repeat business and referrals that arrive without prompting, from clients who know the difference between a broker who serves them and one who services a transaction.
In Alberta, where Bruce has built a particularly strong market presence, his name is amplified by a heavy advertising campaign across television and radio – channels he values not simply for reach but for credibility. The ads, he notes, help legitimize him in a market where clients are choosing who to trust with some of the largest financial decisions of their lives. Alongside that visibility, he has cultivated deep relationships with builders and financial planners, creating a diversified pipeline of leads that insulates the business against the inevitable swings of the rate cycle.
The operational side of the business has evolved with equal deliberateness. The appointment of a dedicated ‘Director of Wow’ – a role conceived to ensure every client interaction exceeds expectation – and the adoption of Dominion Lending Centres’ Gold Rush CRM platform have together driven a meaningful uplift in repeat client business over the past year.
The present year of 2026 brings its own complexities. With clients emerging from a period of historically low rates and confronting sharply higher mortgage costs, Bruce has tilted his focus toward refinancing – helping existing borrowers navigate a transition that, for many, has been genuinely painful. He is also investing in AI tools to sharpen lead generation and streamline internal processes, a measured embrace of technology from someone who has never confused efficiency with the thing it is meant to serve.