MR LONG DINGBIN
Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Perth
2002-2008 First Secretary, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia
2008-2011 Political Counselor, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
2011-2013 Counselor, the Department of External Security Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Beijing
2013-2015 Deputy Mayor of Wenshan City, Yunnan Province, China
2015-2016 Counselor, the Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Beijing
2017-2021 Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Lahore, Pakistan
2021- Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Perth
His Excellency the Honourable Chris Dawson APMC
34th Governor of Western Australia
His Excellency the Honourable Chris Dawson APM was sworn in as the 34th Governor of Western Australia on 15 July 2022.
The Dawson family have been part of the early colonial settlers over five generations of farming and law enforcement. The Governor's great-great-grandparents arrived in the then Swan River colony in Western Australia in 1830.
Christopher John Dawson APM was educated at Perth Modern School before joining the Western Australia Police Force in 1976, going on to provide 46 years of service in Australian law enforcement.
He served in country and metropolitan positions, criminal investigation, training and senior roles. The Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2002 saw him awarded the Australian Police Medal for distinguished service.
After 10 years as Deputy Commissioner, he left WA for a national role in Canberra between 2014 to 2017 as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Crime Commission, amalgamating several agencies into the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
He also served as Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology during this period. He was appointed Commissioner of the Western Australia Police Force in August 2017, serving until July 2022. During the period of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Commissioner Dawson coordinated the State of Emergency and the Vaccine program.
He is married to Darrilyn Dawson, Education Consultant, with two married children and five grandchildren.
MR SAM LIM MP
Member for Tangney
I’m Sam Lim, Member for Tangney.
I was born in Johor, Malaysia, in 1961 to very hardworking parents and I am the oldest of eight children.
I served for two years as a Police Constable with the Royal Malaysian Police Force, before leaving to become a dolphin trainer, and then went on to run several small businesses in Malaysia and then in Australia.
I moved to Australia with my wife and three children because I wanted them to receive a world-class education. I joined the WA Police Academy in 2006 and have since worked across Perth and regional WA.
I have always cherished and embraced my Chinese/Malay heritage. My diverse language skills led me to be appointed as a Diversity Engagement Officer with WA Police, where I work with multicultural communities across Perth.
In 2020, I was awarded Police Officer of the year for my work with multicultural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
My family and I are very grateful for the opportunities Australia has provided to us. This drives me to give back to my community as a Police Officer, and now as the Member for Tangney.
I want for families in Tangney the same I want for my own family – good jobs, quality education and health care, and I know only a Labor government can deliver.
MR TREVOR HART
Western Australian Chairman | Global Mining Leader | Partner, Audit, Assurance & Risk Consulting
Trevor Hart has been an audit Partner since 2000 and has more than 30 years of experience with KPMG and as a senior leader in the Australian firm. Trevor is the Western Australian Chairman, Global Mining Leader and Audit Partner. Across KPMG, Trevor’s leadership roles have included Australian Mining Leader, Chair of Audit Quality and member of the National Audit Leadership Group for 9 years.
His client experiences have been focused in the mining sector, advising and auditing ASX50 to ASX500 companies producing iron ore, gold, nickel, aluminium, coal, zinc, lead diamonds, copper, mineral sands, vanadium and lithium together with mining contractors and service providers across most continents. This client experience has ensured Trevor understands exploration, development, mining and processing metals as well as commodity markets as well as giving him excellent KPMG mining specialist networks around the globe.
In addition, his broader Financial Services sector experience covers audits of banks, insurance companies and financial securities brokers.
Living by the beach, Trevor enjoys boating and fishing and spending time with his wife and four children. His love of good food and wine brings its challenges, but long walks and kids activities help.
DR MINGLU CHEN
Senior Lecturer, Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney
Minglu Chen is a senior lecturer in the Department of Government and International Relations and a member of the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Her research concentrates on social and political change in China, especially the interaction between entrepreneurs and the state and women’s political participation. She has published her research in The China Quarterly, The China Journal and Journal of Contemporary. She is the author of Tiger Girls: Women and Enterprises in the People’s Republic of China (Routledge 2011).
MS PRIMROSE RIORDAN
South China Correspondent at the Financial Times
Primrose Riordan is based in Hong Kong and writes about the city as well as Macau and South China. Before joining the Financial Times, she was a reporter at The Australian Financial Review, The Australian and The Canberra Times. She was a recipient of the Wallace Brown Young Achiever Award.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ALFRED M. WU
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore
Wu Alfred Muluan is Associate Professor in Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at National University of Singapore. He earned his PhD from City University of Hong Kong, where he was the recipient of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship and the Outstanding Academic Performance Awards for Research Degree Students. He previously served as an associate professor in the Department of Asian and Policy Studies at The Education University of Hong Kong, a senior research associate in the Department of Public and Social Administration at City University of Hong Kong, and from 2000-2007 a senior journalist in Mainland China, where he received over a dozen awards and honours for outstanding journalism both from Chinese and overseas organisations.
His research interests include public sector reform, central-local fiscal relations, corruption and governance, and social protection in Greater China. He has been engaged in funded research projects with support from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong and the Central Policy Unit of The Hong Kong SAR Government.
HON. DR KEVIN RUDD AC
The 26th Prime Minister of Australia and President and CEO of Asia Society
Born and raised in country Queensland, Kevin Rudd became Australia’s 26th Prime Minister in 2007 after leading the Australian Labor Party into government after more than eleven years in opposition.
Kevin served as Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010, and again in 2013. He was also Australia’s Foreign Minister between 2010 and 2012.
A global authority on China, he is now the global President and Chief Executive of the Asia Society in New York, and has been president of the Asia Society Policy Institute since 2015.
Kevin recently celebrated 40 years of marriage to his wife, Thérèse Rein, with whom he has three children and three grandchildren. They divide their time between Queensland and New York.
MS MERRIDEN VARRALL
Director at Australia Geopolitics Hub KPMG
As Director of the KPMG Australia Geopolitics Hub, Merriden is developing thought leadership that analyses how tax environments around the world are shaped by geopolitical trends and events.
Before joining KPMG, Merriden was Director of the East Asia Program at the Lowy Institute where her work concentrated on developing an understanding of East Asia 'from the inside out', and analysing the Australia-China bilateral relationship.
Prior to that she was Assistant Country Director and Senior Policy Advisor at UNDP China. She has spent almost 8 years living and working in China, including working for the United Nations (ILO and UNDP), lecturing in foreign policy at the China Foreign Affairs University, and conducting fieldwork for her doctoral research.
Merriden has also worked for the Australian Government Treasury in the macroeconomic group, and the Department for Family and Community Services on early childhood and demographic policy.
MS YUN JIANG
ACYD’21 Inaugural AIIA China Matters Fellow | Founder China Neican
Yun Jiang is the inaugural AIIA China Matters Fellow. She was the co-founder and editor of China Neican, and a managing editor of the China Story blog at the Australian Centre on China in the World. She has published and been cited widely on Chinarelated topics, with a focus on Australia's policies on China.
She is also a former researcher in geoeconomics at the Australian National University and a former policy adviser for the Australian Government, having worked in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Treasury and the Department of Defence. Her policy experience covers economics, national security, and foreign policy.
MS ELIZABETH PEAK
Deputy Head and First Assistant Secretary, Office of the Pacific in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Ms Peak currently serves as the Deputy Head and First Assistant Secretary, Office of the Pacific in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Prior to this she was co-Head of the COVID Development Taskforce and First Assistant Secretary Human Development and Governance Division (2019-2020).
Ms Peak has served overseas as Minister Counsellor (Economic) at the Australian Embassy in Beijing (2016-19) and Counsellor at the Australian High Commission in Ottawa (2006-08).
Ms Peak has represented Australia in negotiation of free trade agreements and in the United Nations on climate change, including as Assistant Secretary, Free Trade Agreements Division (2014-16), Assistant Secretary, Multilateral Climate Negotiations (2010-11), Director of the Office of International Climate Law (2008-2010).
Prior to joining DFAT, Ms Peak was a lawyer at Freehills and Dwyer Durack.
Ms Peak holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from Kellogg-HKUST (2014), Master of Laws (International) from ANU (2009) and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland (1996).
LORD MAYOR BASIL ZEMPILAS
City of Perth
Basil Zempilas was elected Lord Mayor of the City of Perth in October 2020, the 18th Lord Mayor of Perth and the first following a three year period without elected leadership.
This is the Lord Mayor’s first foray into Local Government and comes after a successful and ongoing broadcasting career in television and radio and as a newspaper columnist with The West Australian.
Basil began his television career at Channel 7 in Perth in 1994 and since 2001 has been the station’s Senior Sports Presenter, a role he continues in today. He also hosts the Triple M Breakfast show on Perth radio.
Basil has been a host and commentator at eight Olympics Games for the Seven Network, most recently calling the swimming at the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 games. In 2002 he famously called Stephen Bradbury’s historic gold medal win, Australia’s first in winter Olympic competition.
For over 10 years he was a commentator and host of Seven’s Australia Open tennis coverage and for five years he was Master of Ceremonies at the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Between 2012-2019 Zempilas was a host and commentator on the Seven Network’s AFL coverage.
Away from sport, Zempilas spent two years commuting from Perth to Sydney from 2018 to co-host Seven’s Weekend Sunrise and in 2019 he anchored and moderated the first Leader’s Debate between Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten.
Since 2010 Basil has been host of Seven Perth’s world renowned 26-hour live television charity fundraiser, Telethon. Since its inception, Telethon has raised almost $400 million for sick children and medical research and in 2020 raised a record $46.3 million dollars.
This year in his role as Lord Mayor, Basil was twice asked to activate the Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund, first for the Wooroloo and Hills bushfire and then for the victims of Tropical Cyclone Seroja. The two appeals raised almost $25 million.
Basil is Perth born and bred, a huge contributor to the community and fiercely proud of his Greek heritage, His family hails from the tiny island of Kastellorizo, Greece which has had official Sister City status with the City of Perth since 1984.
Basil was educated at Hale School and gained a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Graduate Diploma of Journalism from Murdoch University. In 2019 he was honoured with a Distinguished Alumni Award. Basil has been married to Amy since 2009, they have two daughters, Ava and Chloe and a son, Anthony.
THE HON DAVID KELLY
Minister for Water; Forestry; Youth
In March 2013, Minister Dave Kelly was elected to the Thirty-Ninth parliament as the Member for Bassendean.
After the McGowan Labor Government's election in March 2017, he was appointed the Minister for Water, Fisheries; Forestry; Innovation and ICT; Science.
Prior to his entry into politics Minister Kelly spent 20 years in the union movement protecting the wages and conditions of some of the lowest-paid workers in WA; including education assistants, aged care workers, disability support workers and healthcare workers.
Minister Kelly played a key role in establishing the Bayswater-Noranda Community Bank, the first community bank to be established in metropolitan Perth. He was a board member of the bank from its establishment in 2000 to 2017.
DR DAVID SUN
Managing Director at Sinosteel Corporation
David joined Sinosteel Corporation in 2001 and was appointed Managing Director of Sinosteel Australia in 2013. Prior to this appointment he held the position of Deputy General Manager being responsible for managing the Channar Mining Joint Venture with Rio Tinto.
David has a Bachelor of Economics from Nanjing University of Science and Technology, a Master of Management from Tianjin University of Commerce and a PhD in Economics from the China Academy of Social Sciences.
In 2013 David became the President of the China Chamber of Commerce in Australia (Perth Branch) and currently is a member of the Curtin Business School Advisory Council.
MR ROBERT NEWTON
Head of Corporate Affairs at CITIC Pacific Mining Management Pty Ltd
Rob Newton has more than 25 years' experience within Western Australia's mining, government and media sectors - working as a political reporter in Australian television and a senior adviser with the Government of Western Australia.
Most recently, Rob has managed public affairs for major companies and industry groups, including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia.
He has been with CITIC Pacific Mining for more than eight years, and is responsible for the government, media, community and workforce relations. He’s a former Associate Director with Citadel MAGNUS Corporate Communications in Perth.
Born in Western Australia, Rob has a Bachelor of Arts (Media) from Edith Cowan University and is a graduate of the Leadership WA Signature Program (2020 cohort).
He’s a long-serving member of the Executive Committee of the Australia-China Business Council (WA branch).
MR BIN JUN ZHUANG AM
Former Fortescue Metals Group Executive
1978 Joined Shanghai Branch of China International Travel Service as an interpreter/tour operator
1984 Seconded to Australian Consulate General in Shanghai as the head of locally engaged staff and head interpreter
1987 Joined Western Australian Government, initially as the adviser to the Overseas Relations Office and then Manager at China desk
1994 Appointed the Regional Director, Western Australian Trade Office in Hong Kong
1996 Appointed the Regional Director, Western Australian Trade Office – China when the government regional office was moved from Hong Kong to Shanghai
2012 Joined Fortescue Metals Group Ltd as Group Manager China Business Development, Chief Representative, Fortescue Metals Group Co Ltd Shanghai Representative Office, General Manager, FMG Trading Shanghai Co Ltd
2020 Retired
He is a Fellow of Australian Institute of Management and was awarded the Order of Australia in 2004 “for service to the furtherance of Australia's relations and trade with the People's Republic of China, particularly through involvement in processes leading to the export of liquefied natural gas to Guangdong Province, China.” He is also a member of Murdoch University Vice Chancellor's External Advisory Board.
He graduated from East China Normal University, majoring in English language in 1978 and from the University of Western Australia with Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1989.
MR CHRIS MCMAHEN
Group Manager Technical Marketing at Fortescue Metals Group
Chris McMahen is the Group Manager of Technical Marketing for Fortescue Metals Group, a major iron ore mining company. Chris has a background in analytical chemistry, QA/QC, QMS, R&D and process control, and over 30 years of professional experience in mining and metallurgy. Chris also represents the Minerals Council of Australia within the International Standards Organisation, and has previously worked with Anglo American, Rio Tinto and Alcoa. Fortescue Metals Group also operates Fortescue Future Industries, which is progressing major investments in the production and supply of green hydrogen and green ammonia for industrial decarbonisation. The Technical Marketing team which Chris leads is also responsible for the evaluation of alternative green iron and steel making technologies, positioning the Fortescue businesses to supply the raw materials required by a future decarbonised iron and steel making industry.
MS YAXI ZHAN
Founder & Managing Director of Accelerate Resources Ltd
As a Mongolian-born Chinese woman, Yaxi grew up in Inner Mongolia, China’s wild west. She then moved to another wild west, Western Australia in 2004, with nothing but a suitcase and limited English skills. In 2006, Yaxi graduated from Curtin University with a Master’s Degree in Accounting. Yaxi fast-tracked her career from entry level to a senior management accountant role in just under five years. Until 2012, she reached a glass ceiling and felt undervalued. She then decided to start her own business. After five years’ operating in the private sector, in 2017, Yaxi founded Accelerate Resources, and geared up for a public listing on the ASX. The road to IPO is full of unknowns, but she was determined. By the end of 2017, with the lowest number of successful IPOs, Yaxi lead the team and raised 5.5 million dollars, and listed on the 14th of February 2018.
As the Managing Director, Yaxi's role is challenging, but also rewarding. From boardroom to red dirt, from capital raising to working as a field Assistant, Yaxi has the vision of building a mining company. There are more changes ahead of her, but she is more confident than ever and ready for the future to unfold.
MS TAMRYN BARKER
Co-founder and CEO of CORE Innovation Hub
Tamryn is committed to growing a community of world-leading innovators in WA to deliver the ideas, knowledge, culture and skills we need now and into the future. She is one of the founders of CORE Innovation Hub, Australia’s first co-working, collaboration and innovation hub focused on resources and energy. Tamryn is currently focused on growing CORE Skills, which is redefining data capability for industry and establishing the new Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct in Neerabup, north of Perth, helping companies, universities and government, locally and globally, develop and apply new autonomous and advanced robotic technologies and capabilities. Tamryn worked for the European Union Delegation and European Patent Office in Beijing from 2006-2011 on trade co-operation and intellectual property initiatives. On returning to Australia in 2012, she was delighted to join the ACYPI committee with a focus on innovation, and has a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) and Master of Marketing from The University of Western Australia.
MS YOLANDA ZHAO
Co-founder & COO of Infinite Green Energy
Yolanda is the chief operating office and co-founder of Infinite Green Energy, Infinite Green Energy is a vertically integrated business, offering advisory, engineering and design, with a focus of developing projects that build, own and operate. Our vision is to establish IGE as a leader in the green hydrogen sector and elevate Australia on the global stage by demonstrating the country has the technology, skills and entrepreneurial mindset to be ahead of the pack in the development of green hydrogen projects. Yolanda is a business professional in corporate management, strategy delivery, sales and business development. Highly experienced in delivering business growth in Asia Pacific markets. To her, starting a business is easy, however, to make the business reliable, sustainable, and deliverable is the most challenging and fun part.
MR RAJ SURENDRAN
CEO of Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia
Raj Surendran was appointed CEO of Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia on 19 October, 2022. TLEA is a joint venture between global new energy materials company, Tianqi Lithium Corporation, in China, and Australian Miner IGO Ltd. The company owns 100 per cent of the lithium hydroxide refinery in Kwinana, and 51 per cent of the Talison Lithium Mine in Greenbushes, Western Australia: the world’s largest and highest quality hard rock lithium deposit.
Mr Surendran is a highly experienced senior executive with over 20 years of finance, business development, strategy, project management and commercial leadership experience in Australia. He held senior finance positions with Aurizon, Wesfarmers, BGC Australia and DUET Group (Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline) before joining Tianqi Lithium’s Kwinana operation in 2019 as General Manager of Finance.
In September 2021, Mr Surendran was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the newly formed TLEA joint venture. As COO, he led the Kwinana team through many milestone accomplishments including the achievement of first battery-grade lithium in May 2022. Mr Surendran has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Australia
H.E. MR GRAHAM FLETCHER
Australia's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China
Graham Fletcher has been Australia's Ambassador to China since August 2019.
Prior to this appointment, Mr Fletcher was head of the North Asia Division in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) during 2008-10 and again from 2015. During 2014, he led the team that completed negotiation of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Mr Fletcher has served in the Australian Embassy to China on three previous occasions: as Third Secretary (1986-88), Counsellor (1997-2000) and Deputy Head of Mission (2004-08).
He was also Deputy Head of Mission in the Australian Embassy in Washington (2011- 2013) and Deputy Consul-General in the Australian Consulate-General in Noumea (1992-1994).
Mr Fletcher has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Sydney. He joined the then Department of Foreign Affairs in 1983. He is married with three children.
H.E. MR XIAO QIAN
Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Australia
1986-1990 Staff Member, Attaché, Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia
1990-1993 Attaché, Third Secretary, Department of Asian Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1993-1996 Third Secretary, Second Secretary, Chinese Embassy in the Republic of India 1996-2000 Second Secretary, Deputy Director, Director, Department of Asian Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2000-2003 Counselor, Chinese Embassy in the United States of America 2003-2006 Counselor, Chinese Embassy in the Republic of the Philippines 2006-2012 Counselor, General Office of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2012-2015 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Hungary
2015-2016 Deputy Representative on Korean Peninsular Affairs and Ambassador on Asian Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2016-2017 Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs and Deputy Representative on Korean Peninsular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2017-2021 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Indonesia
2022- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Commonwealth of Australia
HON. PIERRE SHUAI YANG MLC
Government Whip in the Legislative Council
Pierre Yang arrived in Australia in 1998 as an overseas student when he was 15 years old. In 2002, after completing high school education in Sydney and Perth, Pierre went on to study law, political science, and philosophy at UWA. After his study, he was trained by Mr Raymond Tan to become a competent legal practitioner. In 2013, Pierre set up his own practice. During his 10 years in the legal profession, he mainly practised family law and frequently dealt with violence restraining order cases. Pierre was elected as Councillor of City of Gosnells in 2013. In 2017, he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council. He is currently Member of the North Metropolitan Region and Government Whip in the Legislative Council.
PROFESSOR JING HAN
Director of the Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University
Professor Jing Han is a leading expert in translating Chinese culture, intercultural communication, audiovisual translation and media accessibility. She is highly regarded for her significant and original contributions to the field and industry. Jing is also known for intercultural competence, strong leadership and innovative thinking.
MS YU-HSIU CAMILLE CHEN
Executive Creative Director at Legend Media Group
Camille has 15+ years of international co-production and creative content delivery experience, as writer, producer and director operating in both China and Australia. Camille has sophisticated knowledge of Asian markets, including Asian cultural values and mindsets. Her award-winning debut feature film Little Sparrows (2010) was described as “nuanced and heartrending”, “intelligently conceived” and “brilliantly written."
As the Executive Creative Director at Legend Media Group, Camille is responsible for developing and building Legend's film and television project pipelines and creating new growth opportunities.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MAGGIE YING JIANG
Director of UWA Confucius Institute | Associate Professor at UWA Business School
Maggie grew up in China, studied and worked in Europe before obtaining her doctoral degree in Australia. She worked at the University of Adelaide as an academic in Media and Communication with tenure until 2018 before she joined the University of Western Australia. Maggie currently holds a joint position as the Australian Director at UWA Confucius Institute and an academic in the Business School.
Maggie’s research interests and publications mainly include cross-cultural communication, brand storytelling, social media and public relations. One of Maggie’s books Cyber-nationalism in China has been sold and downloaded more than 60,000 times. One of her recent articles “‘Reversed agenda-setting effects’ in China: Case studies of Weibo trending topics”, published by the Journal of International Communications, has become one of the most read articles on Taylor & Francis online.
MR TING CHEN
President of Chung Wah Association Inc
From Fujian, China
President of Chung Wah Association
Chung Wah Executive Committee Member since 2009
2017 - 2019 Senior Vice President
2015 - 2017 Honorary Secretary
2011 - 2015 Vice President
2013 - 2017 member of Advisory Committee of the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, WA
PROFESSOR BARRY JAMES MARSHALL
Nobel Prize Laureate and Professor of Clinical Microbiology
Professor Barry Marshall is a Nobel Laureate, Clinical Professor and Brand Ambassador at The University of Western Australia (UWA). Professor Marshall (UWA graduate-class of ’74), and Emeritus Professor J Robin Warren were awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Professor Marshall returned to Perth and UWA in 1996 after a tenure at the University of Virginia. In 1998 Marshall was made a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 2008 he was elected as a Foreign Member of the prestigious US National Academy of Science, an institution that was established in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. In 2015 Barry Marshall was awarded the China Friendship Award. Today, Professor Marshall is the Director of The Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases Research and Training, founded in his honour. In addition to Helicobacter pylori research, the Marshall Centre is at the forefront of infectious disease identification and surveillance, diagnostics and drug design, and transformative discovery. His research has expanded with his group to embrace new technologies including next generation sequencing, and genomic analysis.
MR ANDREW HUNTER
Author & Journalist
Andrew Hunter is an experienced advisor to government and commercial entities on international relations, strategic development, and public policy.
Andrew was previously Director (Minderoo International) at Minderoo Foundation, Asia’s largest philanthropy with a corpus of over AUD$2 billion. Before that, he was General Manager at Port Adelaide Football Club, responsible for its international engagement which produced major sponsorship agreements and the execution of three AFL matches in China from 2017-2019.
Andrew has also acted as senior advisor for international engagement to the Premier of South Australia. In this position, he was responsible for the development of the South Australia – Southeast Asia Engagement Strategy, and the South Australia International Sports Diplomacy Strategy, both released in 2015.
In 2021, Andrew established Hunter & Co. Consultancy, which offers services relating to strategic development and international engagement.
Formerly a professional indoor volleyball player, Andrew represented Australia, and played eight seasons in professional leagues in Europe, including Pro A in France and Serie A in Italy. He was awarded a Palm d’Argent for services to the City of Cannes in 2004.
Andrew holds a Masters of Philosophy (Asian Studies) from The University of Adelaide and Diploma in Languages (Japanese) from University of Canberra. Andrew also studied on a Japanese Government scholarship at the International University of Japan (International Relations School) in 2002. He is currently finishing a Doctorate of Education at The University of Melbourne.
MS SALLY DAWKINS
Director, Western Australia State Office
Sally Dawkins commenced as Director in January 2022. In this role Sally leads the Department's engagement with its diverse stakeholders in Western Australia, including government, business, academia and the community.
Sally has served overseas with the Department in Geneva (United Nations), Paris, West Africa and most recently in Ankara, as Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Turkey. In Canberra, Sally has worked on a number of initiatives to support Australian businesses overseas, including the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, the Africa Down Under mining conference, and the Shanghai World Trade Expo. She has also worked as an Adviser to the Minister for International Development and the Pacific.
In 2017-19, Sally managed government relations and social investment for Newcrest Mining in Papua New Guinea, based in Port Moresby. In this role she sat as a Director of Newcrest’s subsidiary corporations, and represented Newcrest at the PNG Chamber of Mines & Petroleum.
Sally graduated with Honours in Bachelors of Laws and Arts from the University of Western Australia, and is an admitted solicitor. She speaks fluent French.