Dr. Dominic Szambowski

Biography

Professor Dominic Szambowski is an internationally recognised leader in education management with a career spanning senior executive roles across Australia, Malaysia, Switzerland, and the United States. His leadership is defined by a consistent ability to revitalise institutions, drive measurable student growth, build high-performing teams, and embed the governance and quality assurance frameworks that sustain long-term academic excellence.

From 2020 to 2025, Professor Szambowski served as Dean across three Swiss Education Group colleges. At Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS), he held responsibility for all aspects of academic life across the Caux and Leysin campuses. Working in close partnership with academic and professional teams, he led the school to its highest-ever subject ranking in the QS World University Rankings — a global #2 position in Hospitality and Leisure Management — a milestone that reflected his sustained focus on teaching quality, institutional reputation, and stakeholder engagement.

Previously, as CEO and President of the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS), Professor Szambowski led a comprehensive institutional transformation that restored financial stability, improved profitability, and delivered strong, sustained growth in student enrolments.

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Teaching

Throughout his career, Professor Szambowski has championed career-focused, industry-engaged education — an approach grounded in the conviction that academic rigour and real-world relevance are not competing priorities but complementary ones. His teaching philosophy centres on preparing graduates who are not only technically proficient but also capable of critical thinking, cross-cultural collaboration, and ethical leadership in a rapidly evolving global economy. He has consistently worked to strengthen the connection between classroom learning and professional practice, ensuring that curricula remain responsive to the needs of industry and the aspirations of students.

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Industry Experience

As Vice-Chancellor of BERJAYA University College of Hospitality in Kuala Lumpur, Professor Szambowski played a central role in the establishment of the BERJAYA Business School, broadening the institution's academic portfolio and market positioning. His earlier leadership in Malaysia included serving as President and CEO of INTI International College, Subang Jaya — an institution of approximately 4,000 students — and as Executive Dean of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Tourism for the INTI Group, where he oversaw programmes across one university and five colleges serving more than 14,000 students, all within the Laureate International Universities network.

His career also includes a range of academic and student life leadership positions at institutions of international standing, among them the State University of New York, César Ritz Colleges Switzerland (Brig and Le Bouveret), Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (Australasia), and Paul Smith's College in New York.

An Australian currently residing in Switzerland, Professor Szambowski is an avid footballer and a lifelong aficionado of the World Game.

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Education

• Ph.D. [Faculty of Education] | University of Sydney
• Certificate of Advanced Study in Counselling | State University of New York
• Master of Science in Education | State University of New York
• Bachelor of Arts [Communications: Mass Media] | State University of New York