Professor Yvonne Breyer
Biography
Professor Yvonne Breyer is an award-winning academic and education leader with expertise in:
- online learning
- curriculum development
- student success
- employability
- digital transformation strategy.
Over more than a decade at Macquarie University, she has led strategic initiatives with national and international reach, consistently translating vision into measurable, lasting change.
Breyer was an early advocate for high-quality, inclusive online education.
- In 2014 she led the negotiations that established Macquarie's decade-long partnership with Coursera and went on to lead a portfolio of flagship online offerings that has reached more than two million learners worldwide.
- On the back of exceptional learner feedback and global impact, her team received the Coursera Outstanding Educator Award for Student Transformation in 2018, recognised alongside Yale and the University of Michigan.
- She subsequently led the Design and Experience team to deliver the innovative and transformative Global MBA, ranked #1 Online MBA in Australia (CEO Magazine, 2022) and among the world's top online programs.
- Today, Macquarie is the leading Coursera partner in the Asia/Pacific region.
As Deputy Dean, Education and Employability at Macquarie Business School, Professor Breyer leads learning, teaching and employability across the Business School and has also led international grant and research projects on university-industry engagement, sustainability and employability. Under her leadership, MQBS has delivered strong, sustained gains in student success and experience and been ranked #1 nationally for Career Impact in the AFR BOSS Best Business Schools for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025).
A Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Breyer also serves as:
- Chair of the Australian Business Deans Council Education and Employability Network
- Macquarie's representative on the Coursera International Council.
Qualifications
- PhD in Applied Linguistics (Macquarie University)
- Master of Arts (University of Essen, Germany)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, Leadership and Management (Macquarie University)
- Principal Fellow, Higher Education Academy (PFHEA, Advance HE, UK)
- Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD)