Mr Mathew Benjamin | ACYD'18

Mathew Benjamin was elected Executive Director of the Australia-China Youth Dialogue in 2019, having been a delegate in 2018, and speaker in 2017.

In 2014, Mathew founded a company to accelerate the connectivity of people, ideas and capital between Australia and Asia across the areas of science, technology and entrepreneurship. Since its inception AsiaRecon has identified, built and maintained long-lasting strategic relationships that have led to AU$600 million of foreign direct investments being made into Australia’s leading technology backed startups that today employ thousands of Australians.

Mathew holds a Master of International Business and Law from the University of Sydney. Mathew has also undertaken coursework at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai and was awarded the Taiwan Ministry of Education MTC Scholarship to undertake Chinese studies at the National Taiwan National University, Taipei.

Mr Harrison Chen | ACYD'21

Harrison is Legal Counsel at Woolworths Group, Australia’s largest supermarket retailer and largest company by revenue. With expertise in advising stakeholders across the FMCG and Technology industries, Harrison supports the group’s Woolworths Living (BIG W, Woolworths Market Plus, HealthyLife) and Woolworths Food Company (Greenstock, Australian Grocery Wholesalers, PFD) business portfolios.

Prior to joining Woolworths Group, Harrison was an Associate at a leading international law firm and worked in both Australia and China advising Big Tech companies on complex mergers & acquisitions transactions, and on their online & offline media interests. Prior to being a lawyer, Harrison worked as an Associate at a top Australian Investment Bank.

Outside of the law, Harrison has previously represented Australia in basketball as a sponsored athlete and also maintains an active involvement in Sino-Australia relations as Partnerships Associate for the Australia-China Youth Dialogue (ACYD). In 2018, he was named as a Top 100 Future Leader in Australia by the Australian Financial Review and featured on the cover of the AFR Magazine. In 2022, he was an Australian Delegate to the 11th ACYD in Hobart, and joined the ACYD management team at the 12th ACYD in Perth.

Mr Paul Cheyne ACYD’18 | Trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade

Born and raised in Melbourne, Paul’s first visit to China was on a scholarship to East China Normal University while undertaking a Diploma of Languages (Mandarin) at La Trobe University. Since then, Paul has worked and studied in Dalian, Beijing, and Taipei.

Paul is a Trade and Investment Commissioner at the Australian Trade and Investment Commission’s Beijing Post at the Australian Embassy. Paul leads Austrade’s investment promotion and facilitation work across Mainland China. Paul previously worked for the North Asia and Investment section of Austrade in Canberra, the Landing Pad team in Melbourne, and Tourism Programs for the Approved Destination Status scheme – which allows Chinese tourists to travel to Australia in guided groups.

Paul joined Austrade in 2017 from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, where he worked on aviation security policy in the Office of Transport Security.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Tourism from La Trobe University in Melbourne, a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration from the University of Canberra, and a Master of Enterprise Management from Renmin University of China.

Mr Allan Chou | Founder, RAIDiCal

Allan Chou is the founder of RAIDiCal, a Global early stage tech fund of funds advisory base in Shanghai focused on finding the next global tech phenom in Renewables, AI, IoT and Big Data.

He’s an adjunct instructor teaching Corporate Innovation, Social Responsibility and

Sustainability at the prestigious Fudan University’s Fanhai International School of Finance(FISF) in Shanghai. He is also an Honorary Ambassador to AsiaBerlin Summit and a mentor in the Mayor’s International Business Program, City of London.

Previously he was the Chief Marketing Officer at RocketSpace China - a renowned startup accelerator from Silicon Valley, and partner at Garage Cafe, the first coffee themed Nationally recognized privately operated TMT incubator and co-working space on China’s most famous startup hub called Innoway in Zhongguancun, Beijing.

He has lived in China for 25 years and is a pioneer in digital marketing and online consumer research. Before coming to China he worked in California State Government in the California State Senate and as the Chief Assistant Secretary of State. He has a double degree in Political Science and Journalism.

He’s currently working on a green hydrogen power partnership fund and design center to provide renewable energy to the most in-need communities around the World.

Ms Jessie Hu | ACYD'21

Jessie Hu is currently a finance business partner at Paragon Care, where she works closely with senior leadership to drive strategic business improvements and performance initiatives. Prior to this, she kickstarted her career with KPMG Sydney - working on a diversified portfolio of clients, ranging from ASX-listed entities and financial service companies to not-for-profit organisations.

Born and raised in China, she came to Australia in 2013 to pursue a Master of Professional Accounting degree at the University of Sydney. Her passion for strengthening people’s connections from diverse backgrounds enriched her university life and later career. She was an active member of KPMG’s Asian Female League and China Club supporting others in career advancement, helping to strengthen cross-border relations between Australia and China. She is also an industry mentor at the University of Sydney Business School.

Jessie was a delegate at Hobart 2022. The experience inspired her to return as a treasury associate and contribute towards creating this opportunity for future emerging leaders from different industries to connect.

During her remaining spare time she wields a dragon-boat paddle and climbs rock.

Mr Siyao Jiang | ACYD'19

Mr. Siyao Jiang is the Managing Partner for ERM China. ERM is one of the largest global pure-play sustainability consultancy, with over 8,000 consultants across more than 40 countries. Based in Shanghai, Siyao takes overarching responsibilities for ERM’s environmental and social consulting, climate change services, sustainable finance and transaction advisory practices, and facilitates clients’ ESG and Low Carbon Energy Transition journey. Meanwhile, Siyao also leads the Greater China banking and finance sector for ERM across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Siyao has been a seasoned banker with nearly twenty years of track records across corporate and investment banking, central bank and public policy, and ESG investments. Prior to joining ERM, Siyao was based in Hong Kong and led the French bank Natixis’s project financing business in North Asia across natural resources, renewable energy, petrochemical, infrastructure, PPPs, telecommunication, and agricultural sectors. Siyao started his professional career at Australia’s central bank, the Reserve Bank, to manage the foreign exchange and gold reserves on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia. He has gained international experience in China mainland and HK, UK, and Australia with Macquarie Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and QBE Insurance Group.

Siyao is a historian and economist by training with rigorous master’s degrees in Medieval History (Oxford) and International Law (USYD) and bachelor’s degrees in Economics (1st Honours, Macquarie) and Actuarial Science (Macquarie). Siyao is fluent in Chinese and English, and converses French and Italian. Siyao is passionate about the global exchange of civilisation, culture, and commodities; he is currently pursuing part-time doctoral research in medieval global history, at the University of Oxford. Siyao is a qualified sommelier in wine, sake, and whisky.

Mr Harry Li | ACYD Management

Harry currently serves as the Business Development Manager for Linear Clinical Research in Perth. His involvement in the Australia-China space dates back to 2014 when he arrived in Perth as an international student from Chengdu. Over the years, he has played key roles in organising conferences and events in both China and Australia, and recognises the significance of active engagement between the two nations. This understanding led him to the Australia China Youth Dialogue in 2022.

Recently, Harry completed his MBA at the University of Western Australia. He has prior experience as a Business Development Consultant spanning various industries, including Healthcare, Life Sciences, and International Education. Harry also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Physiology and a Graduate Diploma in Health Science (Clinical Physiotherapy). Additionally, he is a NAATI certified provisional interpreter.

Ms Gabi Powell Thomas | ACYD Management

Gabi is a postgraduate student at The Australian National University College of Asia and the Pacific, with a regional specialisation in China and Chinese language.

Gabi completed her Bachelor's degree majoring in languages at the University of Sydney in 2020. As part of her degree, she undertook language exchanges at Peking University (China), Leipzig University (Germany), and Rikkyo University (Japan). She was awarded several language prizes and scholarships during her undergraduate studies, including second place in the NSW Chinese Bridge competition in 2019, for which she was selected to attend the 18th Chinese Bridge Summer Camp held in Changsha, Hunan. These immersive overseas experiences fostered Gabriela’s interest in China, the Asia-Pacific region, and Australia’s relationship with its near neighbours.

Gabi is currently a tutor of Modern Chinese Language and Asian Economies at The Australian National University. She graduated from the Conservatorium High School majoring in Violin and Voice and continues to enjoy playing music.

Ms Chloe Sevil | ACYD'21

Chloe is a London-based lawyer working as a cyber incident response lawyer or "breach coach". Acting as a breach coach, Chloe assists global multinational clients contain and investigate complex cyber incidents, including ransomware incidents, large wire frauds, email compromises and inadvertent disclosure incidents.

Chloe works with threat intelligence professionals and forensic investigators to advise her clients about the legal ramifications flowing from cyber incidents, working with clients to manage regulatory and data subject notifications in EMEA, APAC, the US and LATAM regions.

Chloe also contributes regularly to industry journals, speaks about cyber as an emerging business risk, and has appeared on podcasts discussing Board considerations for paying ransom demands.

Mr James Tang | ACYD Executive Director

James has been passionate about bridging the language and cultural differences between Australia and China through people to people exchanges since his university studies in Hangzhou in 2007 and Taipei in 2009. His interests in understanding China have taken him to work as a consultant in Beijing from 2013-2017 for RPM Global in mining advisory.

James's professional career in Australia has been diverse, ranging from a FIFO engineer in the Pilbara for Rio Tinto, a senior management consultant at Deloitte Consulting and corporate developer at Fortescue Metals Group. His latest endeavour has been building and launching a fast-growing startup called Ready Team One, a social Virtual Reality (VR) gaming company that has sold its product internationally.

As an Australian born Chinese raised in Perth, James completed studies in Engineering (Mechanical), Arts (Chinese) and MBA from the University of Western Australia. He has been a proud member of the ACYD management team since 2016.

Mr Neil Thomas | ACYD’14

Neil Thomas is a Fellow for Chinese Politics at Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, where he studies elite politics, political economy, and foreign policy. Previously, he was a Senior Analyst for China and Northeast Asia at Eurasia Group, the world’s leading political risk advisory and consulting firm, a Senior Research Associate at MacroPolo, the in-house think tank of the Paulson Institute, and a lecturer at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy. He has testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission and his writing appears in publications including The China Story, ChinaFile, Foreign Policy, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Lowy Interpreter, The Washington Post, and The Wire China.

He is regularly quoted by major media outlets such as Bloomberg, CNN, Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He holds a Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia, and certificates from Renmin University, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University.

Ms Amber Ziye Wang | ACYD'18

Amber Ziye Wang is the Senior Public Affairs Officer at the Australian embassy in Beijing. A former journalist and researcher, Amber found her passion for the bilateral relationship when she was an international student in Melbourne. Starting her career covering topical issues relevant to the Chinese diaspora, she has since reported for many publications on China particularly in the areas of politics, cyberspace and international education, and has conducted in-depth research for a few Australian think tanks. Amber was also the President of Australia China Youth Association Beijing chapter and is deeply passionate about youth engagement.

Mr Matthew Warr | ACYD'19

Matthew Warr’s professional and educational background has revolved around China and the Australia-China relationship for the past fifteen years.

Matthew is a Legal Consultant at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Guangzhou, where he works with a team of Chinese lawyers to provide legal advice and services to foreign companies doing business in or with China. Matthew is also a Board Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) South China, a role which involves working with leading executives from Australia and China to connect, inform and advocate on behalf of Australian businesses in South China, and advance the overall Australia-China business and economic relationship.

Matthew first became involved with ACYD as a delegate at the 10th Dialogue held in Shanghai in 2019. He is very excited to contribute again to ACYD as Logistics Manager at the 13th dialogue held this year in Chengdu.

Matthew holds a Bachelor of Global Studies (with a major in Legal Studies) and a Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Management from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), as well as an MBA from Peking University HSBC Business School in Shenzhen. Matthew was a recipient of a Prime Minister’s Australia-Asia Endeavour Award Scholarship in 2014 and a BHP Billiton Australia-China Scholarship in 2017. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.