Speakers | aaedialogue

CONVENORS

Mr Michael Fay

Michael Fay is Convenor of the ASEAN Australia Education Dialogue (AAED) and a Director at Australian Corporate Advisory firm ASEAN Focus Group (AFG VG). Michael is based in Sydney and advises a range of international education institutions, associations, media groups and peak bodies in relation to Asian education activities. He has a regional specialisation on India, Indonesia and the ASEAN region and was on the National Board of the Australia Indonesia Business Council (AIBC) from 2015-19. He has also been a board member of the National ELT Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) and is a Gold Friend of the Duke of Edinburgh Award/The International Award for Young People. Michael is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Technology Sydney in recognition of his pioneering work in establishing UTS Insearch,developing IELTS Testing at UTS, an IELTS publishing business at Insearch and setting up transnational education centres in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Mr Thomson Ch'ng

A Master of Science (Project Management) and Bachelor of Commerce (Finance & Management) graduate of Curtin University Australia, Thomson Ch'ng is Co-convenor of the ASEAN Australia Education Dialogue (AAED) and an International Specialist Advisor at Australian Corporate Advisory Firm ASEAN Focus Group (AFG VG). Thomson is based in Penang and advises a range of education and training institutions, governments, associations and media groups in relation to Australian and ASEAN education activities. Prior to this, Thomson was the Vice-president of the ASEAN Youth Organization and Special Officer to a Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly. Back in Australia, Thomson was a founding delegate of the Council of International Students Australia (CISA), the national peak representative body for international students and has served as National Secretary then National President (2011-2015). Thomson was the winner of the 2013 New South Wales International Student of the Year Award (Higher Education).

2019 Workshop Facilitators

Ms. Gretchen Dobson EdD
President, Global Alumni Relations
Managing Director, Australia
Academy Assembly, Inc.

Dr. Linley Lord
Pro-Vice Chancellor & President
Curtin University Singapore

Ms. Jan Drew

Executive member and Chair, Education and Training Committee, Malaysia-Australia Business Council (MABC)

Ms. Claire Field

Claire Field & Associates

Ms. Ana Bratkovic

General Manager

National ELT Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) Ausstralia

PLENARY SPEAKERS

Ms Megan Jones

Megan Jones is the Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Mission to ASEAN based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is a career officer at the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). She has previously served overseas as Deputy Consul General in the Australian Consulate in Shanghai (2011-2014) and as Third then Second Secretary in New Delhi (2004-2007). In Canberra, Ms Jones has served as Director - Legal in the International Law Branch and as Senior Adviser, South and South East Asia at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Megan holds a Masters of International Relations and Masters of International Trade and Commerce Law from Macquarie University, and a Bachelor of Asian Studies (Korean) and a Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University.

Mr Michael Growder

Mr Michael Growder took up the position of Deputy Head of Mission in Kuala Lumpur in October 2017.

Mr Growder is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, whose most recent role in Canberra was Assistant Secretary, FTA Outreach Unit in DFAT’s Free Trade Agreement Division. Mr Growder has been posted previously as Counsellor (Public Affairs and Culture) in Beijing (2012-2014); and First Secretary (Economic and Trade Policy) in Hanoi (2005-2007). In Canberra, Mr Growder has also worked in North Asia Division. Prior to joining DFAT, Mr Growder worked at the Reserve Bank of Australia (1997-2000).

Mr Growder has a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts in Mandarin Chinese from the University of Queensland. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and Vietnamese.

Dato’ Dr Ooi Kee Beng

Dato’ Dr Ooi Kee Beng is Executive Director of Penang Institute. Formerly Deputy Director (2011-2017) of ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute (Singapore), he is founder-editor of ISEAS Perspective, Penang Monthly and ISSUES; editor of Trends in Southeast Asia; columnist (The Edge Malaysia); adjunct professor (Taylor’s University, Malaysia); and Honorary Fellow (CenPRIS, USM). His latest book is Catharsis: A Second Chance for Democracy in Malaysia.

Mr Peter Church OAM

Peter Church was born in Sydney and has spent almost his entire career as a lawyer and corporate adviser in the markets of South East Asia and India. In 1994 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) by the Australian Government for promotion of business between Australia and South East Asia. He has been appointed an Adjunct Professor at Curtin Business School, a Distinguished Professor at Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management in New Delhi and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Great Lakes Institute of Management in Chennai. He holds a number of directorships of listed and unlisted companies and has written a number of books on Asia.

PANEL SPEAKERS

Dr. Baiduri Widanarko
Chair of ASEAN University Network – ASEAN Credit Transfer System (AUN AUCTS)

Assoc. Prof. Sampan Singharajwarapan
Vice President for Research and Innovation, Chiang Mai University , Thailand

Prof. Supachai Yavaprabhas, Former AUN Executive Director, Professor at the Faculty of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Dr. Raymond Girard Tan

Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, De La Salle University

Ms. Julie Wilkens McMahon
Regional Director (APAC)

Times Higher Education - World University Rankings

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