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As QS’ Chief Innovation Officer, Maria Spies is responsible for identifying and developing products, monitoring new opportunities and maintaining the market position of QS in the global higher education ecosystem. HolonIQ, the impact intelligence company she co-founded with Patrick Brothers in 2018, offers data and insights that drive informed decision-making, foster innovation, and enable future learners to fulfil their potential. Dr. Maria Spies is Chief Innovation Officer at QS and Co-Founder of HolonIQ, the world's leading research and analytics platform for global education, whose data and insights power growth, innovation and risk intelligence for forward thinking governments, institutions, organizations and investors.
Maria joined the company when QS acquired HolonIQ in October 2024. Before founding HolonIQ, Maria held a range of roles at Navitas, the Australian College of Applied Psychology and UNSW.
Outside of QS
Maria has worked in public and private education for over 20 years specializing in transforming education through technology. She has built and led global teams, driving innovation in curriculum, teaching and the student experience in over 50 countries. Maria leads the Innovation Practice at QS, to deliver data rich insights about the global education sector, digital transformation and higher education futures. She oversees tools and frameworks such as the HolonIQ Education Market Taxonomy, Higher Education Digital Capability Framework, and the QS AI Competency Framework and leads future Scenarios for the Future of Education, 5 Strategic Shifts in Higher Education.
Influential work
Maria holds Masters and Doctoral degrees in Higher Education, and was awarded ‘Thesis of the Year’ for her work on public-private partnerships in higher education. She serves as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, where she teaches on education entrepreneurship and innovation programs. Dr Spies advises institutions, policy makers, intergovernmental organisations and NGOs on key education issues and is regularly sought after as a keynote speaker on the future of education and technology.