About Us
At International Education Consultants Australia (IECA) Pty Ltd, we are driven by a vision to inspire learning, empower teaching, and transform education.
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Founded with a focus on international education, IECA now embraces a broader mission — supporting all learners and educators through innovative and impactful approaches.
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Through our three integrated arms — capability building, consultancy, and research & innovation — we bring a holistic approach to advancing education.
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Guided by our core values of integrity, collaboration, and evidence-based practice, we work alongside partners worldwide to transform education systems, helping learners flourish and educators thrive.
Our Story
IECA was founded in 2008 with a simple belief that education should open doors for every learner.
What began as research into international student wellbeing soon grew into a bigger mission. In the early years, we worked with education providers to strengthen support for international students. But the more we listened, taught, and researched, the clearer it became, the challenges of learning and teaching are shared by education organisations everywhere.
Founded by Dr Katie Richardson, IECA’s work naturally expanded over time. From assessment, curriculum and pedagogy to inclusive education and student engagement, Katie’s experience shaped a broader vision that continues to guide the organisation today.
That journey led to a reimagining of IECA. No longer focused on a single area, we now work with schools, organisations, and education systems to improve learning, empower teaching, and transform education.
Even though our story is still unfolding, it’s always been about the same thing: improving and inspiring learning for every student.
Meet the director
Dr Kathryn Richardson (BA, BTeach, MEd, PhD, GCALL) is the founder and director of IECA. She brings more than two decades of experience as a teacher educator and researcher, with expertise spanning educational assessment, curriculum and pedagogy, inclusive education, student engagement, and international education.
Katie holds a Master of Education and PhD from the University of Melbourne, along with a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Learning and Leadership. She has lectured in and developed graduate and post-graduate teacher education courses at the University of Melbourne, Deakin University, Torrens University, and Eastern College Victoria, and continues to supervise doctoral research as an adjunct academic with the University of Central Queensland.
Most recently, Katie served as a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), where she led flagship capability-building programs and contributed to system-wide initiatives to strengthen teaching and learning. She has extensive experience in developing and delivering face-to-face, online, blended, and hybrid professional learning programs, and has been recognised for excellence in online education.
What drives Katie’s work is her passion for empowering educators at every level of the system to support all learners to thrive and progress. By integrating research, practice, and innovation, she continues to champion education that is inclusive, evidence-based, and transformative.
