Our Founders
Educators.
Innovators.
Mentors.
Meet the people behind our commitment to meaningful learning and student development.
Founder photograph
Reserved for an approved photograph of Gary and Sue together.
Two founders.
One enduring commitment.
Gary Gopinathan and Sue John established Innovate Technology & Robotics Academy around a shared commitment to practical education for children and teenagers. Their work combines technology knowledge with close coaching, encouragement and opportunities for students to discover what they can do.
They believe capability and confidence belong together. Innovate Forge Academy is the next chapter of that shared vision: an evolution of their established education work, not a separate beginning.
Founder profile
Gary Gopinathan
Co-Founder, Innovate Forge Academy
Gary Gopinathan brings 25 years of experience in teaching, training and capability building across educational settings. His involvement in FIRST LEGO League (FLL) began in the early 2000s, and he was part of the founding team that established the competition in Sydney in 2008.
In 2014, he founded and scaled the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) program across Australia, creating opportunities for young people to develop engineering, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership skills. Through Innovate Technology & Robotics Academy, Gary has helped students explore coding, robotics, computer science and technology through practical learning experiences.
Innovate Forge Academy represents the next chapter in this educational journey, extending the academy’s established technology programs into innovation, communication, leadership, entrepreneurship and future readiness. His educational philosophy combines practical learning with coaching, mentoring and a commitment to helping young people develop confidence, independence and character.
Gary’s focus
Helping young people develop capability, confidence, independence and character through practical learning, coaching and mentoring.
Founder profile
Sue John
Co-Founder, Innovate Forge Academy
Director of STEM Learning & Development, Innovate Technology & Robotics Academy
Sue combines international professional experience with sustained work in robotics, coding and STEM education. Before co-founding the legacy academy in Australia, her published biography records work in intellectual property consultancy and leadership of a training and development division in Singapore.
Sue is identified by the legacy academy as a Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy Certified Instructor. She has taught robotics, coding and technology in primary and secondary settings, contributed to curriculum and classroom delivery, and guided students through many seasons of STEM holiday programs.
Her competition experience includes coaching and mentoring for FIRST LEGO League (FLL), VEX IQ and VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) events at state, national and world-championship levels. She also helped develop early Australian VEX competition activity, school programs, robotics incursions and the academy’s own competition challenges.
Sue’s focus
Developing engaging learning experiences that help students discover their abilities and grow in confidence.
The founders’ educational philosophy
Learning is personal.
For Gary and Sue, meaningful education combines what a learner knows with what they experience, practise, reflect on and are encouraged to attempt next.
Experience in action
Learning happens alongside students.
Looking ahead
Building the next generation of learning.
The founders are extending their experience through a broader academy model that connects established technology learning with new capability pathways.
The academy brings together technology and computer science, public speaking, creative writing, innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship. Each area provides a different way for young people to think, create, communicate and apply ideas.