Alister holds an honours degree from the University of Otago in New Zealand and a MA from the University of Waterloo in Ontario.  Alister was appointed dean of the school in April 2001.

Alister has spent the last 20 years in executive positions within the tourism industry in Australia, the U.S.A. and Canada.  Most recently he was Vice President of Product Travel Related Businesses for the Thomas Cook Group.  Prior positions included Vice President of Sales & Marketing for World of Vacations.  He also held Managing Director roles for companies in Los Angeles and Sydney.

Alister is the author of two University texts in Tourism Economics and Impact Assessment.