PLAP 2025 celebrates sector leaders with Lifetime Impact awards

PLAP 2025, held at HOTA: Home of the Arts in Surfer’s Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia from July 29–30, marked the third edition of the coveted international education conference.

The first major event for the sector since Anthony Albanese-led Labor’s landslide victory in Australia, PLAP 2025 brought together government officials, policymakers, university leadership, education providers, consultants, entrepreneurs, and international students from more than 20 countries for the two-day conference.

While discussions focused on policy developments in Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific region, the two-day event also explored themes such as AI’s impact on education, student entrepreneurship, sustainability, K–12, transnational education, edu-immigration, and the future of the region. 

The event also served as a moment to honour international education stalwarts Ravi Lochan Singh and Mark Lucas with the Lifetime Impact Award for the South Asian and Asia Pacific regions respectively, sponsored by Griffith University, for their decades-long contributions to the sector.

I arrived here in 1990 as a student from India at Bond University. Now, 35 years later, I’m back in Gold Coast, receiving this award that recognises my work over the past three-and-a-half decades
_{^{Ravi Lochan Singh, Global Reach}}

Started as an idea in 1991, Singh founded Global Reach after completing his MBA from Bond University on the Gold Coast.

What began as an on-campus discussion between three graduating MBA students at Bond, including Sushil Sukhwani, founder of Edwise International, and early roadshows for Australian universities, has since grown into an overseas education consultancy with 46 offices across Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, and partnerships with over 500 universities worldwide.

Since its inception, Global Reach has grown into one of the leading consultancies in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and is considered a “market leader” in Nepal and Bhutan. 

This growth was further highlighted in a 2024 analysis by The PIE News, which revealed that Global Reach and IDP hold the highest number of partnerships with Australian universities for student recruitment and related services.

Singh also served as president of the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI) from 2019 to 2023, playing a key role in promoting credibility and ethical practices among Indian agents recruiting students for Australian education and training institutions.

“Gold Coast is truly golden! I arrived here in 1990 as a student from India at Bond University. Now, 35 years later, I’m back in Gold Coast, receiving this award that recognises my work over the past three and a half decades,” Singh stated in a LinkedIn post about winning the Lifetime Impact award at PLAP 2025. 

“This award is so special because it’s the first time I’ve received an award with my family by my side. My wife, Shobhna, my children, Aditeya and Akanksha and my daughter-in-law, Muskan, are all here to celebrate with me. Thanks to them for being my rock and my source of inspiration throughout my life.” 

Lucas, who was honoured with the award for the Asia Pacific region by Marnie Watson, vice president (global), Griffith University, has been a long-time contributor to international education conversations during his decades-old leadership experience in the sector.

The former chairperson of the Australian Council of Private Education, now known as the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia, Lucas has held a number of directorial and advisory roles in both Australia and China.

One of Lucas’s most notable roles was as managing director, iae Global, where he focused on business development at one of the leading student recruitment organisations, offering visa support, university selection, and pre-departure services, with offices across Asia, Australia, the UK, and Canada.

Under Lucas, iae Global expanded its presence in key student markets such as Vietnam, India, and Japan, while also seeing increased recruitment from Korea and China. 

The organisation also shifted from a language-provider-focused approach to working more closely with universities and pathway providers.

Lucas, a vocal advocate for improving agent-university relations, has previously served as a board member of the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) and as chair of International Student Education Agents Australia (ISEAA), the peak body for agents in Australia. 

He currently serves as senior VP, business development and global partnerships at Huatong International, the Shanghai-based arm of iae China.

Moreover, PLAP 2025 also recognised Rohan Pasiri, co-founder and CEO of Manifest Global, with the Emerging Leader of the Year – Asia Pacific & South Asia award, for his efforts in connecting schools, universities, and students to simplify international admissions.

“This recognition is a powerful reminder that what we’re building at Manifest Global matters. The work we’re doing to reshape global education – across borders and systems – is resonating,” Pasiri stated on LinkedIn. 

“We’re advancing into spaces that haven’t been fully built before. Accelerating ideas that put students first. And forging paths that bring schools, universities, and partners together in entirely new ways. All of this ultimately to achieve greatness for humanity.”