Our People
Leadership team
Philipp Ivanov, Chief Executive Officer
Philipp commenced as CEO in January 2015 and is leading Asia Society Australia through a period of growth and transformation. Philipp is a China specialist with extensive experience in policy, education and research and is committed to building an Asia-connected Australia.
Previously, he was a policy officer and manager of the Australia-China Council at the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In this role, Philipp led the strategic renewal of the Council and had broader responsibilities for the Australia-China bilateral relationship. Philipp was one of the principal authors of the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper - China Country Strategy.
Philipp was also 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.
Philipp spent over 6 years in China working in education and development. He is the recipient of the ‘Rose Award’ by the Shenyang Municipal Government for his contribution to Shenyang City. In 2009 he was also awarded the Australian Government’s Endeavour Executive Fellowship to research China's policies on leadership development at the China National Academy of Education Administration in Beijing.
He is a board member of the Australia-Vietnam Young Leadership Dialogue, Asia Recon, Haymarket HQ and Sydney City Council's Chinese New Year Advisory Panel. In 2015, he was invited as the only Australian to the 2015 Congress of Vienna - a preeminent global track-two dialogue on major-powers conflict, migration, equality and innovation. He is the creator of Disruptive Asia - a thought-leadership project examining the impact of Asia's rise on Australia.
Philipp has a Bachelor (Honours) degree in Chinese language and history from the Far Eastern National University in Russia. He also studied in Jilin and Liaoning Normal universities in China. He holds a Master of Educational Leadership and Management from RMIT University in Australia. He grew up in Vladivostok on Russia's Pacific coast and is a fluent Chinese and Russian speaker.
Connect with Philipp on Linkedin.
Thomas Soem, Executive Director
Thomas Soem joined Asia Society Australia in April 2019. He is an international partnerships and business development specialist with over a decade of experience building successful collaborations between Australia and Asia.
Thomas has a background in strategic planning, business development, project design and management, and implementation of cross-sector initiatives and programs with national and global partners in the Asia-Pacific region.
Prior to the Asia Society, he was the Head of International Research and Development at the University of Sydney. In this role, he drove international research and capacity-building projects between the University and its partners in Asia, built relationships with external funders, and gave strategic advice on international growth and collaboration opportunities. He identified, designed, bid for and often managed more than 100 projects for the University across the Asia-Pacific region funded by national and international agencies, including the Australian Government, the United Nations System, the European Commission, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. He led University’s submissions to several government consultations and parliamentary senate inquiries including the Asian Century White Paper, and had representative roles with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and the Australia-Indonesia Centre.
Thomas is a graduate from the University of Oslo, Norway and the University of Sydney where he studied political science, international diplomacy, regional integration and languages.
Connect with Thomas on LinkedIn.
Richard Maude, Executive Director, Policy
Richard Maude is Executive Director of Policy at Asia Society Australia and a Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
He is a former senior Australian government official with 30 years’ experience in foreign policy and national security.
From 2018 to 2019, Mr Maude was Deputy Secretary, Indo-Pacific Group, in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Australia’s senior official to the East Asia Summit.
In 2017, Mr Maude was head of the whole-of-government taskforce which supported the preparation of the Australian Government’s 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper.
Mr Maude was Director-General of the Office of National Assessments from May 2013 until November 2016. Before taking up this position, Mr Maude was the senior adviser on foreign policy and national security issues to Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
He has served overseas in Malaysia, where he was Deputy High Commissioner, Singapore and as the Liaison Officer for the Office of National Assessments in the Australian Embassy in Washington DC.
Mr Maude is a member of the Futures Council of the National Security College at the Australian National University and Director of the ANU Crawford Leadership Forum.
Jette Radley, Director, Programs
Jette Radley joined Asia Society Australia in May 2016. As Director, Programs, she leads the programming team across Sydney and Melbourne and is responsible for the curation and delivery of Asia Society Australia’s member and public events.
She is passionate about bringing people together and facilitating meaningful conversations on Australia’s role in Asia and on the changing economic, strategic, and cultural dynamics of the region. In the last four years, Jette has delivered close to 200 programs, including; C-suite Executive Briefings, international conferences, visits, public talks, and gala events. Jette is the lead convenor of Asia Society Australia’s flagship program, Asia Briefing LIVE.
Jette was previously the Executive Officer at the Australia China Business Council (ACBC), where she worked directly with the National CEO, Board and NSW Branch CEO to implement the goals and objectives of the Council. She led the delivery of ACBC’s annual Canberra Networking day, as well as a suite of events hosted at Parliament House alongside the historic signing of the China Australia Free Trade Agreement and visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Jette has a strong interest in social justice and the not-for-profit sector and worked as a volunteer research assistant at Burma Campaign Australia where she assisted in the development of a human rights advocacy and awareness campaign to coincide with Myanmar’s 2014 ASEAN chairmanship. Having grown up in regional Australia, Jette combined her interests in regional issues, food security and Australia’s role in feeding Asia at the New South Wales Farmers Association. Here, Jette contributed to the development of an Industry Action Plan, to help future-proof NSW Agriculture.
Jette was a founding member of the Australia China Youth Association (ACYA), University of Technology Sydney Chapter. Jette graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney with a double degree in Communications (Social Inquiry) and International Studies (Chinese language and Culture). She also studied for twelve months at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China on an Australian Government Discover China Scholarship.
Niti Saraf, Director, Finance and Operations
Niti Saraf joined Asia Society Australia in March 2021. In her role as the Director of Finance and Operations, she provides core operational and financial capabilities required by the organisation to allow the specialists to focus on their areas of expertise.
Niti was born and educated in India and is a qualified teacher who gave up teaching after a year of teaching Maths and Science to year 7 students at her alma mater. Following this, Niti went on to study MBA from the University of Jammu in India and later worked at India’s largest IT education provider before moving to Australia for love.
In Sydney, Niti studied towards a CPA Australia qualification and has been a member of CPA Australia for the past 20 years. She has built a career specialising in taxation, planning and analysis across the Health, Pharmaceuticals and Recruitment sectors.
Niti is passionate about education for all and believes that an educated society is the key to bringing about a progressive change. For the past 10 years, she has been volunteering as a scribe for high school students with learning/writing disabilities.
Niti is a supporter of diversity and inclusion and makes a conscious effort to be inclusive at all times. She has mentored women from CALD background and has helped them assimilate without giving up their individuality.
Andrew Deane, Associate Director, Development and Partnerships
Andrew Deane joined Asia Society Australia in January 2020. As Associate Director, Development and Partnerships, he is responsible for supporting existing members, attracting new members and investigating funding opportunities to support the Society’s mission for Australian leaders and community.
Andrew is passionate about understanding member values and interests, being the best way to identify opportunities for meaningful, long-term partnerships. His professional experience stems from ten years in fundraising and relationship management in the tertiary education and not-for-profit arts sectors in Melbourne and Sydney, in addition to ten years of previous project management experience in Australia, Japan and China in education, research and legal services.
He holds a double degree in Economics (Economic History major) and Asian Studies (Japanese major) from the Australian National University. He has spent six years living in both Japan and China, and has studied and speaks fluent Japanese, highly functional Chinese (Mandarin) and basic Indonesian. While at university, Andrew also performed in several of the ANU Japan Centre’s annual Kabuki performances, including a short tour to Nara and Kobe in 1999.
Given his interest in people, Andrew became a Commonwealth registered marriage celebrant in 2018. Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn.
Andrew Tijs, Associate Director, Communications and Marketing
Andrew joined Asia Society Australia in September 2019. As Associate Director of Communications and Marketing, he is responsible for external communication, marketing strategy, content development, production and management of Asia Society Australia’s key communication platforms.
Prior to joining Asia Society Australia he served as Marketing and Communications Manager at Creative Partnerships Australia and as Digital Media and Communications Manager at The Australia-Indonesia Centre. Before this, he was appointed the inaugural Editor of Google Play Music for Australia and New Zealand.
Andrew has worked in the media sphere for over two decades, including sub-editing for titles under ACP Magazines and Fairfax, copywriting for outlets such as Domain, Melbourne International Film Festival, and the Australian Performing Rights Association, and freelancing for a wide variety of publications both in print and online.
His history in digital stretches back to the fledgling years of internet publishing, acting as an Online Editor at Sensis in the early 2000s, launching online culture magazine The Enthusiast in 2008, and working as Digital Content Manager for entertainment portals Undercover and Noise11 through 2010 and 2012.
Eloise Dolan, Program Manager
Eloise joined Asia Society Australia in May 2019. As Program Manager, Eloise drives design and delivery of the organisation’s Victoria-based programming. Eloise also leads the Gen A (Generation Asia) leadership network, a platform committed to connecting and developing the next generation of Asia-focused leaders.
Eloise previously worked as the Project Coordinator for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program, a bilateral initiative strengthening Australia-Indonesia relations through cultural and youth exchange.
Passionate about intercultural learning and youth engagement, Eloise has served as both a board director and volunteer for AFS Intercultural Programs - a volunteer-run international education organisation. Eloise regularly conducts workshops on global competence and works in a team of international trainers to design and facilitate webinar content exploring the intersection of intercultural learning and issues of social justice.
Eloise graduated from the University of Melbourne iwith a Master of International Relations focussing on China and Southeast Asia. During this time, she also worked at the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet’s International Engagement branch and undertook an internship with Melbourne’s Consular Corps. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia majoring in Asian Studies and French language.
In her spare time Eloise plays soccer for North Melbourne Athletic FC and is a mentor for international students undertaking work experience through Practera, an Australian experiential EdTech company.
Jaimie Dang, Administrative Officer
Jaimie Dang joined Asia Society Australia in January 2020. Prior to this role, Jaimie worked as an Administrative Assistant at Asialink, working across fundraising, events, project assistance and business operations.
Jaimie has worked in administrative roles for over ten years, earning a wealth of experience in office management, event coordination, meeting planning, scheduling, training and coaching new employees, and documenting and maintaining office processes.
She holds a Master in Professional Accounting from Victoria University and Bachelor of Business from Monash University. Jaimie currently lives in Southbank, Melbourne with her husband and daughter, and loves everything about practicing yoga.
Lena Duchene, Program Officer
Lena Duchene joined Asia Society Australia in January 2020. She was previously a Program and Speaker Junior Officer at the OECD, where she contributed to the construction of the OECD Forum, the organisation’s largest annual conference that covers key international issues such as the future of work, climate change, and migrant integration.
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 and she co-founded the French American School of New York’s Asia club – an initiative to share Asian culture abroad. Lena is also very passionate about social justice and volunteers in several organisations that offer hunger relief, solutions against food waste, and refugee support.
Lena obtained a Master of Economics and Business from Sciences Po Paris in 2019. While completing her degree, she interned in a communication agency and L’Oréal’s international development marketing team. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Science Po Paris, majoring in Social Sciences and Asian Studies, and spent a year studying at Korea University in South Korea.
Greg Earl, Editor, Briefing MONTHLY
Greg Earl is the editor of Briefing MONTHLY - a public update with news and original analysis on Asia and Australia-Asia relations, and the essay series Disruptive Asia. Greg was the deputy editor, opinion editor, national affairs editor and Asia Pacific editor of The Australian Financial Review.
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.
Programs and Research Interns
Fangyuan Huo, Programs and Research Intern (Melbourne)
Fangyuan Huo joined Asia Society Australia as an intern in February 2021. She is a final year masters student completing a Master of International Relations at Australia National University. She has a strong interest in strategic relations in the Asia-Pacific region in the context of the US-China competition.
She is a native Mandarin speaker and has attained a diverse range of cross-cultural experiences and developed multilingual capabilities through undertaking prior study in South Korea and Japan.
As a Chinese expat, her cross-cultural journeys in South Korea and Japan have not only provided her with first-hand experiences on the landscape of East Asia, but also a newfound perspective on China. Such experiences sparked her passion to undertake research, as part of her master’s thesis, on the rise of China and how South Korea and Japan, being close allies of the US, adapt to the emerging Chinese power and the intensified US-China rivalry.
With scholarly work on global cooperation at its highest in the light of the ongoing Covid-19 situation, she sees great potential for there to be improved engagement and collaboration between countries and thus she is highly motivated to pursue a career where she can contribute to a better understanding of Asia and a bridging of stronger ties with Asia.
Prior to commencing a Master of International Relations at Australian National University, Fangyuan obtained a Bachelor of Political Science majoring in International Relations at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea. Prior to joining Chung-Ang University, she completed an intensive Korean language course at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea. After her graduation from Chung-Ang University, she undertook an intensive Japanese language course at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. She is fluent in Mandarin and Korean and also has limited working proficiency in Japanese.
Chris Khatouki, Programs and Research Intern (Sydney)
Chris Khatouki joined Asia Society Australia as an intern in February 2021. He is a PhD Candidate at the University of New South Wales, where his research specialises in the political economy of state violence in East Asia. Prior to joining Asia Society, Chris worked in South Korea for the Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education.
Chris is also a Councillor at the Australian Institute of International Affairs, NSW. As councillor, he has helped coordinate events and has expanded the institute’s outreach to younger audiences. He has been involved in a number of community initiatives, including founding the largest language exchange program in the Illawarra region, ‘The Language Exchange’.
Chris is passionate about understanding how societies in the Asia-Pacific can economically develop while also maintaining stable structures of political governance. In 2018, he completed his International Relations degree at the University of Wollongong, where his thesis was awarded first class honours and the University Medal for Academic Excellence.