Aayam Shrestha is Deputy CEO at Sydney Metropolitan Institute of Technology, where he combines legal expertise, strategic leadership and higher education experience to drive institutional growth and compliance. He completed an LLM with Distinction and a Deans List Award, and holds a combined LLB/BEc from UNSW. Aayam leads major strategic projects including Transnational Education partnerships, new course development, and business development systems, and he designs policy frameworks that support academic quality and commercial sustainability. His legal background ensures Sydney Met remains compliant and enables him to advise the executive team on all legal matters, with particular strength in employment law and industrial relations. He contributes to governance across the institution as a member of the Finance & Resources Committee, Governance & Policy Committee, Risk & Audit Committee, Governing Council and Academic Board, reporting on legal, compliance and workforce risk. Aayam is skilled at translating regulatory requirements into practical policy and operational solutions that protect the college while enabling innovation. He is known for pragmatic negotiation, clear legal drafting and collaborative stakeholder engagement. Outside work he’s a passionate soccer fan who brings the same team-first mindset to institutional leadership.
Sydney Met's campus is located on the unceded territory of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, who are the traditional owners of the land where the campus is situated. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present, and emerging. We extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia and Indigenous peoples globally who are presently studying, working, or contributing to Sydney Met.
