MAM
Faiza Mirza to lead Wace India’s expansion of Australian curriculum
MUMBAI: The Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) has appointed Faiza Mirza as chief operating officer for India, marking a key step in expanding Australia’s government-backed curriculum across the country.
The Wace programme, administered by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) under the Government of Western Australia, is the first international government curriculum officially recognised in India. It aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and has received equivalence from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
Offered in over 16 countries including Singapore, China, Japan, and Malaysia, Wace is known for its rigorous academic design, skills-based learning, and global university pathways. The curriculum now seeks to onboard 100 Indian partner schools within three years.
“I am honoured to lead Wace India during this pivotal moment for global education,” said Mirza. “Our goal is to make world-class, government-backed education both accessible and inclusive for Indian students.”
Mirza brings more than 12 years of experience in education and organisational development, having previously worked with the Association of International Schools of India (TAISI) on leadership development and global partnerships. She holds an Msc in retail marketing and management from Kingston University and a BBA from Amity University.
With Mirza at the helm, Wace India will focus on curriculum integration, school capacity building, and teacher training, advancing a vision of quality, globally benchmarked education that resonates with India’s diverse learning ecosystem.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
