Asia Briefing LIVE 2021

He studied Medicine at the National University of Singapore after being awarded the President’s Scholarship in 1980. Following post-graduate specialist training in Ophthalmology, he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1991.

He was appointed Medical Director of Singapore National Eye Centre in 1999 and Chief Executive Officer of Singapore General Hospital in 2000. Concurrently, he was Commanding Officer of the 2nd Combat Support Hospital of the Singapore Armed Forces from 1999 to 2002.

Dr Balakrishnan has helmed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) since October 2015. Singapore was Chair of ASEAN in 2018. Singapore also hosted the landmark Singapore Summit between the leaders of the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2018. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MFA undertook its largest consular operation to bring home Singaporeans stranded overseas. Singapore also co-chairs the Friends of the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility, which supports vaccine multilateralism and access to COVID-19 vaccines for all.

Dr Balakrishnan was the Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative from 2014 to 2021. He led the conceptualisation and implementation of key initiatives such as the National Digital Identity (Singpass), integrated digital services (LifeSG and MyInfo) and digital finance (PayNow and SGQR). He drove the adoption of new approaches within the Singapore Government, in particular, the use of digital contact tracing systems to combat COVID-19 (TraceTogether and SafeEntry), the streamlining of business applications (GoBusiness), and the adoption of agile in-house software development (SG Tech Stack). He also led the development of strategies and policy reviews that are foundational to Smart Nation, including the Digital Government Blueprint, National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and Public Sector Data Security Review.

Dr Balakrishnan was a ministerial facilitator for many rounds of negotiations between 2011 to 2015 that led to the Paris Agreement on climate change at the United Nations.  He initiated the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act in 2014 to deter offending local and overseas entities that cause haze.

Dr Balakrishnan rolled out numerous key initiatives and policies throughout his political career. At the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, he increased the capacity for desalination and NEWater production substantially. In 2011, he restarted the building of new hawker centres after 26 years, to ensure that everyone has access to a wide variety of good, fresh, and affordable food in an informal setting, and to enable local hawkers to make a good living. He initiated the Progressive Wage Model in 2014 for cleaners, who became the first group of workers to enjoy increased wages and better terms of employment. At the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, he established the ComCare system to enhance comprehensive social assistance for all Singaporeans in need. He also oversaw the redevelopment of the National Stadium in 2010. At the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, he worked on the National Broadband Fibre Network project to bring ultra-high speed, low-cost, and efficient fibre broadband to all households and enterprises in Singapore.

Dr Balakrishnan also moved new legislation and amendments to existing legislation in Parliament, including the Mental Capacity Act, which provides for Lasting Power of Attorney so that seniors can nominate a proxy.

Prior to 2020, Jaala served as Minister for Roads, Road Safety and the TAC; and Minister for Fishing and Boating from December 2018. In the Andrews Government’s first term she was Victoria’s first female Minister for Agriculture, as well as Minister for Regional Development and Deputy Leader in the Legislative Council.

Prior to entering parliament, Jaala worked for more than a decade in the union movement and knows the value that a secure, safe and fairly paid job provides – not only to the person in the job but also to those who depend on them. Prior to that, Jaala grew up in Castlemaine watching her parents establish and run their own small businesses.

Jaala is focussed on ensuring that all Victorians have the opportunity to work and to succeed, whether they are an employee or running their own business. She is committed to making sure that Victoria maintains its world class reputation as a leader in Innovation and Medical Research. She has a strong interest in new and emerging technologies and is keen to support the accelerating growth of the Digital Economy.

Jaala adds Resources to her existing economic portfolio responsibilities, overseeing the regulation of this important sector and supporting it to continuing creating jobs and supplying the vital materials underpinning our infrastructure boom.

Throughout Jaala’s career she has led some substantial reforms including the establishment of Victoria’s medicinal cannabis industry, the banning of puppy farms, the introduction of electronic ID of sheep and goats (all 10 million of them), the establishment of Victoria’s first digital agriculture strategy, the creation of Victoria’s Regional Partnerships framework, the transformation of Victoria into a recreational fishing Mecca; and more recently, establishing a modernised, data driven traffic management system for Melbourne.
Jaala has worked closely with Victorian farmers during two droughts

and the 2016 dairy crisis; with families impacted by road trauma; and with injured workers or those in insecure jobs – all at periods of great upheaval, uncertainty and loss. Her work is now focussed on supporting people whose lives have been profoundly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic across her portfolio areas and electorate.

Jaala has been a Member for Western Victoria since 2006. She lives in Ballarat with her husband, her son and two retired greyhounds named Patch and George.

She's been at Bloomberg for more than seven years, and previously worked as a senior writer for corporate credit globally before focusing on mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. Nabila began her journalism career in Australia, where she worked for more than a decade in newspapers and television, including stints as Street Talk columnist and Companies and Markets editor at The Australian Financial Review.

She holds a degree in International Politics and English, from the National University of Singapore. She began her career in radio, covering regional politics. In 2002, she joined Bloomberg Television and is currently News Correspondent and Anchor, Bloomberg Television, and hosts “High Flyers”, which has been nominated for Best Talk Show at the Asian TV Awards.

Based in Singapore, she has been at the heart of events driving the transformation of Asia. She has reported on major financial and political developments such as Suharto's downfall, the bloody anti-government clashes in Thailand and elections across ASEAN, India and Pakistan.

Amin has interviewed world leaders in politics and industry, including Lee Kuan Yew, Mahathir Mohamad, Joko Widodo, Benigno Aquino, Thaksin Shinawatra, Tony Blair, Joe Biden, Al Gore, Timothy Geithner, Paul Volcker, Jean-Claude Trichet, Stanley Fischer, John Travolta and Jenson Button.

She has spoken at conferences such as the World Economic Forum, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, ASEAN and Asian Development Bank, and moderated discussions organized by the Milken Institute, Blackrock, UBS, Barclays, SALT and Aberdeen Asset Management. She speaks English, Malay and Bahasa Indonesia.

Chris joined La Trobe Financial in 2006 and has headed up the Asset Management business since 2009. Prior to that, he served as group Senior Legal Counsel. He is Chairman of La Trobe Financial's Executive Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Assets and Liabilities Committee.

Chris is a regular and sought-after commentator on economics, investment and finance with a particular focus on property credit asset class. He has also conducted numerous presentations on property credit and has written articles in various publications including Asian Banking and Finance, International Finance Magazine, Capital Finance International and Sky News.

Chris holds degrees in Commerce and Law (Honours).

Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in April 2014, Matt held the position of Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of the company.

Until June 2011, Echo Entertainment Group was part of Tabcorp Holdings, Australia’s premier diversified gambling company. In November 2015, the company changed its name to The Star Entertainment Group.

Matt joined Tabcorp in early 2006 as Chief Financial Officer after holding various roles with McKinsey and Company for 14 years, where he focused on building a substantial practice in both post-merger management and financial services, working across four continents.

Mr Bekier holds a degree in Economics and Commerce as well as a PhD in Finance from St Gallen University in Switzerland.

She has held a range of senior positions including Head of Established Markets and Special Adviser to the CEO on Strategy and China (Austrade) and Senior Adviser to the then Defence and Foreign Ministers. Ms Browning was also a Trade Negotiator at the Doha Development Round and for the free trade agreements Australia negotiated with the USA and Singapore. She has previously served overseas in Thailand and Singapore.

Ms Browning holds a Masters in Foreign Affairs & Trade and a Bachelor of Economics with Honours, both from Monash University.

Sally was also the first woman to hold the post of Agent-General for Victoria in the UK, Europe and Israel. She has also served as the CEO for the Committee for Melbourne and COO of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Sally began her career as a Solicitor, after completing Law (Hons) and Commerce degrees at the University of Melbourne.

Sally has held senior roles at both KPMG and ANZ, and she took the small business she co-founded to the ASX. Most recently she was Victorian Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia.

A passionate Magpies supporter, in 2004 Sally made history as the first female board member of Collingwood FC. She is involved in a number of charities, currently sitting on the board of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, the Mary Jane Lewis Scholarship Foundation and the Melbourne University Faculty of Business and Economics.

Sally is portfolio lead for City Transport, Infrastructure and Operations, and Aboriginal Melbourne. For more details see Councillor portfolios.

Before joining Morgan Stanley in 2020, Emily was Global Head of ESG Research and Integration for Manulife Investment Management in Hong Kong and Boston, where she built an ESG investing program for public markets investments encompassing research, investee stewardship, thought leadership and thematic product development.

Previously, Emily was Head of Asia-Pacific ESG Research for MSCI Inc. in Beijing and Hong Kong, leading a team of ESG research analysts covering the Asia-Pacific constituents of the MSCI All Country World Index. Emily commenced her career as a capital markets lawyer with Baker & McKenzie in Melbourne, Australia, with a focus on funds management, capital raisings, and REITs. Emily is a member of the Principles for Responsible Investment’s Listed Equities Integration Subcommittee, and formerly served as rotating chair of the Steering Committee of the Climate Action 100+ investor engagement initiative, and as chair of the Asian Investor Group on Climate Change. She holds an MBA from the University of Oxford, and Bachelors of Laws and Arts (honors) from the University of Melbourne.

Over the past three decades including 10 years at the UNICEF Headquarters in New York, she worked in various capacities in the Chinese Ministry of Commerce as well as in UNICEF in the areas of trade, investment, economics, and development. She holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Since joining the company in 1997, Vera has held a range of analytical and leadership roles at S&P Global Ratings, including extensive experience assigning ratings to structured finance securities across all asset classes and various markets. She has also played leading roles in criteria development, research and investor outreach, and is a regular speaker at industry forums and investor seminars around the globe.

Vera’s previous experience includes corporate treasury and economic consulting.

She holds a Master of Commerce degree from The University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia.

Prior to his appointment, Jonathan was Head of the OECD G20 Sherpa office. During his OECD career he held senior roles as Counsellor to the Chief Economist, Executive Manager of the NEPAD-OECD Africa Investment Initiative, Head of the EU and UK Desks and analyst at the International Energy Agency. In Australia he has held senior management positions at the Reserve Bank and started his career at the Commonwealth Treasury.

Jonathan has taught at the World Trade Institute's Mile Masters Programme in International Law and Economics and the Paris, Sciences Po Institute. While overseas he established and was a director of Cafe Oz, the first Australian bar in Paris.

Jonathan has a Masters in Economics and Management from Columbia University, New York, a Bachelor in Economics (Honours) from the Australian National University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Jonathan is currently a Special Adviser on the Register of Foreign-owned Water Entitlements inquiry and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts and Crafts study.

In these roles, he has been a strong advocate for the positive power of open markets, free trade and the importance of a rules-based international trading system.

Mathias was born and raised in the German-speaking part of Belgium. He migrated to Australia in 1996, attracted by the great lifestyle and opportunities on offer in Western Australia.

Before migrating to Perth, Mathias had graduated in law at the Flemish Catholic University of Louvain (Leuven), following studies at the University of Namur and, as part of the European Erasmus Student Exchange Program, at the University of East Anglia.

Between 1997 and 2003, he worked as Chief of Staff as well as Senior Adviser to various State and Federal Ministers in Australia and for the Premier of Western Australia. Between 2003 and 2007, Mathias worked for major Western Australian health insurer HBF in a range of senior management roles.

In 2001, realising a childhood dream, Mathias obtained his private pilot’s licence. Mathias grew up speaking German and graduated in law following studies in French, Flemish and English.

Ms Cowley was a founding board member of the Asia Pacific Leader’s Malaria Alliance (APLMA) and the Ayui Foundation (Thailand), and was Vice President on the board of Lifeline Canberra. For several years, Ms Cowley worked for the Australian Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership. 

Ms Cowley holds a Master of Business Administration; a Bachelor of Communication and a Graduate Diploma in Education and is an Accredited Partnership Broker.

Ms Cowley has been Australia’s Consul-General in Ho Chi Minh City since December 2018 and in 2021 was awarded both the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Secretary’s Award for Gender, and for Reconciliation. 

In recent years his research extended to political and social risk management for Chinese corporations engaged in non-financial investments abroad, including the publication of an edited volume Chinese Investment Overseas: case studies on environmental and social risks, Peking University Press, 2014 and Risk Management under the Belt and Road Initiative: economic and societal dimensions, Oceanic Press, 2017).   

He is invited to serve as non-resident fellow in a number of public policy think tanks and advisory member on several international exchange associations, including the China chapter of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSPAC) and the China Association for International Exchange. 

He joined the faculty of Peking University in 2007 and held prior positions at the Renmin University of China, the International University of Japan and University of Macau. He studied at the East West Center and the University of Hawaii, where he earned a Doctoral degree in political science.

She has held visiting positions at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford University, and the Stern School of Business, New York University. Most recently she was an Associate Professor of Economics at the Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne.

Her research has been published in a number of international journals, including the American Economic Review, the RAND Journal of Economics, and the Journal of Industrial Economics. In competition economics, her research has focused on firm-to-firm negotiations, and how mergers or exclusive dealing contracts will affect negotiated outcomes. She has also researched topics from organisational economics and development economics.

Catherine is currently working on research into Small and Medium Business Access to Finance and Wealth Transfers and their Economic Effects.

She was previously a Program and Speaker Junior Officer at the OECD, where she contributed to the construction of the OECD Forum. Prior to that, Lena worked in L’Oréal’s international development team.

While she remains French at heart, Lena has spent most of her life abroad, living in Germany, Italy, the United States of America, and South Korea. This multicultural upbringing cultivated her interest in cross-cultural relations from a young age.

She obtained a Master of Economics and Business (Cum Laude) from Sciences Po Paris in 2019. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts from Sciences Po Paris, majoring in Political Science and Asian Studies, and spent a year studying at Korea University in South Korea.

He spent more than a decade as a reporter based in Tokyo, Jakarta, and New York. He is now an independent writer, editor and consultant; is researching a book about Australia and Asia; and writes a column on economic diplomacy for The Lowy Institute’s The Interpreter. He is a member of the Australia-ASEAN Council board (AAC); and a former member of the Australian National University Indonesia Project advisory board; the Australia Japan Foundation board; and the steering committee for the Australia-Indonesia Dialogue.  

His connection with the region began as a high school Indonesian language student and then as an exchange student in the Philippines. This year he has been a member of an international observer group during the Indian election; attended the Australia-Vietnam Young Leadership Dialogue in Ho Chi Minh City; and served on the selection panel for an AAC Muslim Exchange Program in South East Asia.

She was Senior Advisor and speech writer to US Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers (1997-2001). She has also been a reporter at the New York Times, the Principal Editor of the 2002 Human Development Report, an editorial-writer and economics columnist at the Financial Times, and an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and London Business School.  

She was educated at Balliol College, Oxford and Harvard University. In 2016 she was appointed Chair of the Inclusive Growth Commission for the Royal Society of Arts, which delivered its final report in March 2017. She is the Chair of Artichoke, a non-profit arts production company in the UK and a trustee of the Kennedy Memorial Trust.

Prior to joining Oasis, she was Co-Head of Convertible Bond Arbitrage at Natexis Arbitrage, Group Banques Populaires in Paris from August 2001 to December 2005. Before that, she was a Convertible Bond Trader with BNP Paribas Arbitrage in Paris between August 2000 and August 2001.

Ms. Ghozali received a Master of International Finance & Economics, a Master of Economics majoring in Bank Finance Insurance, and a Bachelor of Economics majoring in Applied Economics from University Paris IX-Dauphine.

Ms. Ghozali co-founded the Board Diversity Hong Kong Investors’ Initiative, which aims to improve gender diversity on boards of Hong Kong-listed companies, and she is a member of the steering committee of the 30% Club Hong Kong Chapter and of the investor group of the 30% Club Japan Chapter.

He is currently Professor of Asia-Pacific Security Studies and Head of the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University.  He previously held leadership, research and academic positions with some of the world's leading institutions and universities, including the Brookings Institution, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Sydney, and the Australian National University. 

He has published eight books and over 150 other publications, including China Matters: Getting it Right for Australia (Black Inc/LaTrobe University Press, 2017)(with Linda Jakobson).  His current research focuses on 'Xiplomacy'--China's more dynamic and risk-taking foreign policy under Xi Jinping--which will appear as a major book with Oxford University Press in 2022.

Previous assignments include Kathmandu (2012-2015), where he was Political and Economic Counselor; Hanoi (2008-2011) and Tashkent (2002-2005) as a political officer; and Taipei (2000-2002) as a consular officer, as well as an earlier stint on the China Desk (2005-2007).  He’s the recipient of several State Department honors, including recognition as the Department’s outstanding human rights officer for his work to combat torture and safeguard vulnerable NGOs in Uzbekistan.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Mike worked as a dock worker on an oyster farm in Washington State’s Puget Sound and as an adjunct professor of political science at San Francisco State University.

Mike earned a Ph.D. and MA in political science from the University of California, Berkeley and an undergraduate degree in international politics from Georgetown University.  He completed his dissertation research on a Fulbright scholarship at the Univesiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, Malaysia and has studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Taiwan Normal University, and the State University of Makassar in Ujung Pandang, Indonesia.

Mike speaks Mandarin Chinese, and at one time or another has also been fluent in Nepali, Vietnamese, Russian, and Indonesian. He has three children and is married to USAID Foreign Service Officer Brett Jones.

Mr. Gosper is responsible for the overall management of the operations of the Budget, People, and Management Systems Department; Corporate Services Department; Office of the General Counsel; Information Technology Department; Office of the Secretary; and Procurement, Portfolio and Financial Management Department.

Prior to joining ADB, Mr. Gosper was the Australian High Commissioner to Singapore, and a member of the Asia Society Australia Advisory Council. With 40 years of experience working with multilateral and regional institutions and running large public sector organizations, he has profound knowledge and experience in digitalization, multilateral trade negotiations, regional cooperation, investments and trade promotions, international relations, diplomacy, and corporate administrations.

Mr. Gosper oversaw corporate reform initiatives as former Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission and Deputy Secretary of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that lifted gender diversity and equality, and put in place new policy directions toward greater client focus. As Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, he led Australia’s multilateral trade initiatives and chaired the WTO General Council and WTO Dispute Settlement Body. He held senior roles in the Australian Embassies in Washington and Tokyo, as well as served on the Board of the former Australian Export Finance.

Mr. Gosper has contributed in initiating policy and administrative reforms, supporting infrastructure developments, multilateral negotiations, and promoting trade and investment relationships.

Mr. Gosper completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors at Macquarie University. He acquired a graduate certificate in Public Policy from University of New England.

He is a board member of Haymarket HQ – Australia’s first co-working space and accelerator focussed on Asian markets. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the Australian committee of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC). He is the founder of Disruptive Asia - a thought-leadership project examining the impact of Asia's rise on Australia, and China Executive Briefing, a program examining China’s economic policies and their impact on Australian business. His commentary and analysis have appeared in The Australian, ABC, Bloomberg News, CNBC, The Australian Financial Review, Melbourne Asia Review and ChinaFile.

Philipp is a China specialist with extensive experience in policy, education and research and is committed to building an Asia-literate Australia. Previously, he was a policy officer and manager of the Australia-China Council (a predecessor to the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations) at the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was one of the principal authors of the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper - China Country Strategy, Australia’s first public, whole-of-nation strategy for the bilateral relationship with China. Previously, Philipp was Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific at the University of Sydney, advised the University of Sydney on their China strategy and managed La Trobe University's partnerships in the Gulf States, Vietnam and Thailand.

Under his role of Managing Editor, Johnson is responsible for a team of 40 journalists covering both Australia and New Zealand.

Her research advised senior leaders in the Department of Defense, including military leaders at U.S. Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Army Pacific. Dr. Lin also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2015 to 2018, where she was director for Taiwan, country director for China, and senior adviser for China.

Dr. Lin holds a PhD in political science from Yale University, a master’s degree in Asian studies with a focus on China from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard College. While pursuing her master’s, she interned at CSIS.

Ben has over 25 years experience advising his clients on mergers and acquisitions, corporate insolvency, equity capital markets, joint ventures and other commercial transactions.  He has a passion for drafting and negotiating, and a deep knowledge of technical aspects of the law. 

Ben has a depth of experience advising Chinese companies on their businesses transactions in Australia, including in healthcare, agribusiness, and real estate.  His strong commercial awareness for his clients' business and industry knowledge enables him to add value to his clients, and assist them to achieve their business goals. 

Ben is a regular presenter on corporate and contract law topics.

She has led a large body of clinical trial, modelling and experimental research on face masks and respirators for prevention of infection. Her area of vaccine expertise is vaccination of older adults and immunosuppressed people, as well as the role of influenza and other infections on triggering cardiovascular events, and how these can be prevented by vaccines. She is interested in surveillance for epidemics and biothreats, and developed an automated, open source rapid epidemic observatory, Epiwatch, to detect early signals of serious epidemic or bioterrorism events. She has over 400 peer reviewed publications. She has received many awards including the Sir Henry Wellcome Medal and Prize from the Association of Military Surgeons of the US, the Public Health Association of Australia’s National Immunisation Award (for her research on adult vaccination), and the Frank Fenner Award for Research in Infectious Diseases.

Since joining Bloomberg in 2014, Man has covered several key events around the region, including reporting live from the front lines of Hong Kong’s anti-government protests, the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore, and G20 in Osaka. She has interviewed many influential government officials and business leaders, from Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam, Netherlands’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Bank Indonesia’s Governor Perry Warjiyo, Former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam, to Oaktree Capital’s Co-Chairman Howard Marks.

Prior to Bloomberg Television, Man was a reporter and anchor with Fox-affiliate WXIN in Indianapolis. Earlier in her career, she covered the 2012 U.S. elections and conducted a one-on-one interview with Republican front-runner Mitt Romney.

Raised in Toronto and Hong Kong, Man received her Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Business Institutions from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Man speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

She is particularly well-known for her work of biodiversity conservation in tropical agricultural landscapes, including important studies on tropical crop pollination and the impacts of landscape structure and management on native plant and insect diversity.   Her current research focuses on the impacts of climate change and biological invasions on plant communities and their diversity.

Professor Mayfield received her PhD from Stanford University in 2005, where she worked with Paul Ehrlich and Gretchen Daily in the Center for Conservation Biology.  She moved to UQ as a lecturer in 2007 and became a Professor and Head of the School in 2018.  Professor Mayfield has conducted global change research in systems around the world, including in Costa Rica, Bolivia, USA, Australia, New Zealand, and India.  She was an ISI highly-cited researcher in ecology from 2016 to 2019 and held an ARC Future Fellowship between 2014 and 2018.

A senior career officer from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Ms Millar has focused most of her career on international security, and multilateral issues as well as Australia’s relations with the United States.

Her most recent previous assignment (April to September 2018) was Deputy Secretary, International Security, Humanitarian and Consular Group in DFAT. From October 2017 to March 2018 she served as Chargé d'Affaires a.i. at the Australian Embassy to Belgium and Luxembourg and Australia’s Missions to the European Union and NATO. From January 2014 to September 2017 Ms Millar was Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Washington. Previously in Canberra she served as First Assistant Secretary, International Security Division (2013) and Head of the United Nations Security Council Taskforce (2010-2012) before which she was the Ambassador to the United Nations at Geneva and Ambassador for Disarmament (2006-2010).

Ms Millar previously served as Australian Ambassador for People Smuggling Issues and head of the International Organisations and Legal Division. Earlier in her career she was seconded to the Australian Office of National Assessments as Senior Americas Analyst and also posted to the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York and Australia’s Embassies in Washington and Hanoi.

Ms Millar was educated at the University of Cambridge and holds a MA/BA (Hons) degree in history.

Prior to BHP, Vandita garnered over 23 years of international experience having worked in a variety of executive roles in banking in India, Singapore, Japan and the U.K. Her banking experience includes challenging mandates such as Group Head of Capital Management and Markets, and following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC), setting up Global Balance Sheet and Liquidity Management for RBS.

Vandita holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) degree from Delhi University and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow. She was a Delhi University rank holder for her graduate degree and was awarded a CMC industry scholarship during her MBA.  

He is the author of fifteen books, ten of them about China, and has written widely for many magazines and newspapers. His most recent book is a novel about the US and China, My Old Home. His recent non-fiction works include: Wealth and Power: China’s Long March to the Twenty-first Century; Virtual Tibet; The China Reader; and Mandate of Heaven: The Legacy of Tiananmen Square and the Next Generation of China’s Leaders. He is a fellow at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University and a senior fellow at the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California.

In this role he is committed to driving transformative change that will support students and staff from all backgrounds to excel and realise their potential, solve the world’s most pressing challenges and secure a prosperous future for the University.

Professor Scott is a highly respected and successful senior leader of large and complex institutions, across public service, education and the media. His notable roles include Secretary of the NSW Department of Education (2016 to 2021), Managing Director of the ABC (2006 to 2016) and Editor-in-Chief of Fairfax newspapers.

He has been Australia’s High Commissioner to India, served at the Australian Embassy in Washington working on the Australia-US Alliance and been Australia’s Senior Official for APEC.  He has led Australia’s consular support for Australians overseas, media and parliamentary engagement for the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio, and overseen comprehensive incoming government briefing for two Foreign Ministers and Australia’s Trade Minister.

Mr Suckling was most recently Australia’s Ambas­­­­sador for the Environment, leading on Paris Agreement negotiations, strategy for Australia’s $1 billion climate finance commitment and bilateral cooperation on climate change with key countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.  This included chairing the influential Umbrella Group of developed countries - including the United States, Russia, Japan and Canada - in UNFCCC negotiations for four years.  He is currently a Senior Partner at Pollination, a specialist climate advisory and investment firm.

In 2019 she was awarded an Asian Studies Visiting Fellowship to research at the East West Center in Washington DC for three months. She was also a visiting affiliate fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, an affiliated researcher at Georgetown University and is currently a non-visiting fellow at the Perth US Asia Centre.

She has co-edited two special issues and multiple journal articles and book chapters.  In 2019, her second monograph, The Post-Colonial Security Dilemma, was published with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in 2019. In 2018, she was awarded the prestigious Boyer Prize by the Australian Institute of International Affairs for best article published in the Australian Journal of International Affairs in 2017 for the paper ‘Timor-Leste’s Foreign Policy Approach to the Timor Sea: Pipeline or Pipedream?’ 

She has written over 70 commentary pieces for organisations such as Lowy Institute, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, The Conversation, East Asia Forum, New Mandela, Asia Global Online and Australian Outlook. She regularly provides comment to media including the ABC, the Australian and Sydney Morning Herald. She has testified in Australian federal parliament as an expert witness. I tweet @becstrating.

She is available for research supervision in Australian politics, Australian Foreign Policy and International Relations of Asia.

Stroud-Watts has conducted in-depth interviews with many leading business, financial and corporate newsmakers including Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, Nobel Laureate for Economics Angus Deaton, World Bank Managing Director Bertrand Badre and the founders of China’s largest conglomerate, Fosun. She has also reported live from major events, most recently China’s 19th Party Congress in Beijing.

Stroud-Watts joined Bloomberg in 2015 as an anchor for Bloomberg Television in Hong Kong. Prior to joining Bloomberg, she was the Senior Business Anchor for Channel NewsAsia in Singapore. She began her career as a lawyer in Melbourne before making the switch to journalism as a Business Anchor with CCTV News in Beijing, and subsequently to Fox Business Network as its Asia Markets Reporter.

Fluent in Mandarin and English, Stroud-Watts graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, History and Political Science, and a Bachelor of Law degree.

Ambassador Yamagami has previously served overseas in diplomatic postings to the United Kingdom as Political Minister (2009 – 2012), Geneva, Switzerland as Economic Counsellor for the Permanent Mission to the United Nations and International Organizations (2000 – 2003), Hong Kong as Consul (1998 – 2000), and the USA as Second Secretary (1987 – 1990). Within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yamagami has previously served as  Director-General, Intelligence and Analysis Service (2017 – 2018), and Ambassador for Policy Planning and International Security Policy (Deputy Director-General, Foreign Policy Bureau) (2014 – 2015). Outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yamagami was Director-General (Acting) at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (2015 – 2017). He was also seconded to the National Police Agency as Director of the Police Administration, Ibaraki Prefectural Police (2007-2009). Ambassador Yamagami has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tokyo (1984) and studied at the Graduate School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University (1985-87).

Earlier, he was Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan (2007 – 09) and in Nairobi (2005 – 07) where he was also Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Environment Programme and UN-Habitat. Prior to this, he served in various capacities at the Indian Missions in Hong Kong, China, Mongolia and United Kingdom.

At the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, Ambassador Vohra was Additional Secretary (Administration; Consular, Passport, Visas; and Counter-Terrorism) during 2018 – 19, Joint Secretary (Development Partnership Administration-I) during 2015 – 16, and Deputy Secretary and Director (Disarmament & International Security Affairs) during 2000-02. From 2009 – 11, he was Joint Secretary & Officer on Special Duty in the Project Office to set up the South Asian University in New Delhi.

Ambassador Vohra was born in Amritsar on 28 December 2963. He has a BA in Economics and a Post-Graduate Diploma in International Trade from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He was Chevening Scholar at Oxford University in 1999 – 2000 where he obtained a Certificate in Diplomatic Studies.

She speaks and writes frequently at major media outlets such as BBC and Financial Times; and regularly briefs senior policy practitioners from the G7 member governments and the Silk Road Fund in Beijing, as well as major FTSE 100 corporates. Yu Jie has testified at the UK Parliament three times on China and was also head of China Foresight at LSE IDEAS. Prior to LSE, she was a management consultant, specializing in Chinese state-owned enterprises investments in Europe and Chinese market entry strategies for European conglomerates at the London Office of Roland Berger. Dr Yu has been recognized as a ‘Leading Woman’ of the London School of Economics for her contribution in teaching and engaging the public debates on China’s foreign affairs and remains an associate fellow at LSE IDEAS.

His portfolio is extensive, with works featuring in the likes of Rolling Stone Magazine and American Sports Illustrated. Rocco has also created and collaborated on works for the ABC, FaceBook, Newcastle Writer’s Festival the Greater Sydney Commission, News Ltd, the Law Society of NSW, the UTS, and the UNSW. He also regularly leads drawing workshops at the Art Gallery of NSW. 

A pioneer in digital art, he feels as comfortable drawing on paper as he does on his smartphone or iPad. He brings his stills to life through productions of short form video and animation. In 2015 he was shortlisted for best animation in the Australian Youtube Online video awards.

In 2017 he was awarded a grant by the Pulitzer Foundation to create a 3 minute animated video for the Washington based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. In 2018 he was part the ABC’s multiple award winning team with his striking imagery for the Walkley foundation administered Our Watch awards.