Gen A | Opportunities Unlocked: Business, Trade, and Careers in Southeast Asia

Join Asia Society Australia for an insightful discussion on business, trade, and careers in Southeast Asia featuring Laura Burke, Senior Regional Manager SEA at Global Victoria, and Jack Techathawiekul, CEO at Thai Australian Chamber. 

Southeast Asia is a dynamic and diverse region, and it’s growing economic importance makes it a key destination for businesses seeking new markets. Our speakers will share their experiences and perspectives on the business and trade environment in Southeast Asia, alongside exploring the unique challenges and opportunities of working with the region. They will provide valuable insights and practical career development advice for those looking to build a successful Asia focus career. 

The discussion will be moderated by Michelle Lam, co-CEO of the ASEAN Australia Strategic Youth Partnership, and will be followed by the opportunity to meet other early career professionals and experts in the field. 

Date: Thursday 13 April 2023 
Time: 5.45pm arrival for 6pm start. Event to be followed by networking and canapes. 
Venue: Asia Trade and Innovation Hub, Level 2, Building 8, RMIT University, 368-374 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000

About Gen A: Gen A (Generation Asia) is Asia Society Australia’s emerging leaders network. It is a learning and leadership development platform for early career professionals (under 35) from our member and partner organisations.

Registration is essential. For any enquiries, please contact programaustralia@asiasociety.org 

Registration Link: https://invtdu.to/_xwvk7

About our Speakers 

Laura Burke, Senior Regional Manager - Southeast Asia at Global Victoria

Laura Burke is the Senior Regional Manager – Southeast Asia at Global Victoria. She is an experienced strategic adviser, lawyer and manager that has worked across the government, corporate and not-for-profit sectors.  

Laura has provided strategic and policy development advice in Australia and Indonesia across a range of areas, including international trade, emergency management, human rights, anti-corruption, disability and social inclusion, preventing violent extremism and child marriage. She has also volunteered in the Australian Red Cross’ International Humanitarian Law and Emergency Services teams and sat on the Law Institute of Victoria’s Human Rights Committee.  

Laura has previously worked at Emergency Management Victoria, the Federation of Community Legal Centres, the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) and the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Justice in Jakarta. Before taking a two-year sabbatical to travel around the world, she was a Senior Associate at top-tier law firm Clayton Utz. 

Jack Techathawiekul, CEO at Thai Australian Chamber

Jack currently leads the Asia-Pacific Sales Productivity for Salesforce. His wealth of experience comes from serving multinationals in the region at Google, Telstra and CP Foods (Charoen Pokphand). At CP Food, Jack served as the Head of Corporate Affairs and Special Projects for the region.

Jack is a passionate advocate for connecting businesses with their customers, joining the dots between people, processes and technology to cut through complexity and tackle the real challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region.

Jack has a deep experience developing and sustaining mutually beneficial relationships with key clients across a range of industries, including healthcare, technology, fast-moving consumer goods, wholesale and distribution, power and utilities, and telecommunications.

As a leader of customer relationships across Asia-Pacific business cultures and practices, Jack has broad experience launching successful entrepreneurial and new-to-market initiatives at scale.

Jack is invested in giving back to the community through not-for-profit work, mentoring and volunteering. Over the past decades, he has served in various capacities with the Royal Thai Consulate Melbourne and led the Thai Australia Network.

Michelle Lam - Co-Chief Executive Officer at ASEAN-Australia Strategic Youth Partnership 

Michelle is the Co-CEO of AASYP, a youth organisation that brings together over 100 young people across ASEAN and Australia to work on regional issues such as sustainability and digitalisation. Professionally, she is currently a senior paralegal at a commercial law firm, working in their pro bono practice on issues such as police brutality, homelessness law and asylum seeker/migration review.

She has worked with the Western Australian Police and has interned with organisations such as the WA Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Modern Slavery Research Centre.

She is currently studying a Juris Doctor of Law at the University of Melbourne. She graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in international relations and political science.

Asia Society Australia acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government, the Asia Trade and Innovation Hub, and the ASEAN-Australia Strategic Youth Partnership.