About Acquire Learning

Andrew Demetriou is one of the most recognised names in Australian sport and business. As former Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Football League – a role he held for over 10 years until relinquishing the position in June, 2014 – Mr Demetriou not only administered the 18-team national AFL competition but also helped guide the sport to new heights.

Today, Australian rules football in this country has more than 790,000 participants across all levels and supports a $3.9 billion industry employing nearly 12,000 people. Mr Demetriou’s administration oversaw unprecedented growth in Australian football, expanding the game nationally and internationally, and leading the AFL in negotiating a series of record commercial arrangements including broadcast and sponsorship agreements.

During his tenure, the AFL strengthened its position as “Australia’s game” with new football club licences awarded to the Gold Coast Suns in Queensland and Greater Western Sydney Giants in New South Wales.

Off the field, Mr Demetriou led efforts to secure funding for the redevelopment or establishment of world class playing venues around Australia, including Adelaide Oval, Skoda Stadium in Sydney, Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast, and the proposed Burswood Stadium in Perth.

However, Mr Demetriou hasn’t solely focused on growing the game of AFL. His leadership was characterised by a ‘big picture’ view as he led the organisation to make a positive difference to society through community engagement programs promoting inclusion and tolerance.

Prior to becoming AFL CEO, Mr Demetriou served for three years as the league’s General Manager – Football Operations, overseeing all aspects of the AFL competition. This followed a stint as head of the AFL Players Association where he was instrumental in establishing programs that looked after players both during and post their playing careers. In this role, he negotiated a landmark five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement with the AFL as well as a $25 million player fund.

BIRTH OF A BUSINESS CAREER

With an AFL playing career overseeing 106 games under his belt (103 games with North Melbourne and three with Hawthorn), Mr Demetriou turned his attention to business and his role as Managing Director of dental import company, the Ruthinium Group, a position he took up in 1989.

Under Mr Demetriou’s leadership, the Ruthinium Group’s sales increased by more than 500 per cent. In 1996, the Australian entity acquired its Italian parent company and is now one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of acrylic teeth, exporting to over 70 countries worldwide.

Mr Demetriou remains a director of Ruthinium Group; he is also a member of National Australia Bank’s Community Advisory Council, a Non-Executive Director of the non-partisan Climate Institute, Crown Resorts Ltd, CrownBet, Non Executive Chairman Capital Health and is a former Chairman of the Australian Multicultural Advisory Council.

Mr Demetriou also served as Non-Executive Chairman of the Baxter Group, a waste management group listed on the ASX in 2003 with a market capitalisation of $40 million; the company later sold to Transpacific for $260 million.

The Global Head of Operations and a founding member of Acquire Learning, Tim is the operations whizz, managing all sales processes, recruitment, team building and student acquisition for the business across UK and Australia-based teams.

With seven years of experience in the education and training sector, Tim holds a Bachelor of Business from La Trobe University and has a proven track record in business development. Tim is passionate about his work and in 2014 enjoyed the challenge of introducing Acquire Learning to a global platform.

Tim is an exceptional leader, renowned for his charismatic knack for motivating and inspiring staff throughout our organisation. He loves all things horse racing and dreams of racing the next Black Caviar. When he’s not working, he keeps himself busy by staying fit and enjoying good food and wine with friends.

According to Tim, the key ingredients to Acquire Learning’s success are “hiring the right people, finding the right providers, always doing the right thing by our customers and celebrating success.”