EMILY D'ATH
Emily D’Ath is based in Beijing as a Project Manager for corporate social responsibility consultancy company, CSR Asia - a post funded by the Australian Youth Ambassador for Development program. Since joining CSR Asia, Emily has worked on sustainability reporting and research projects focusing on corporate foundations and community investment in China. This position involves working with multinational companies such as P&G and PwC along with state owned enterprises in Beijing. Emily also assists with regional and China specific community investment work and business development in Northern China.
Before joining CSR Asia, Emily worked in Shanghai and Sydney as Business Manager for a cross-cultural consulting company. This role primarily involved assisting multinational and Australian companies to be more effective when working in Asia. Emily is an experienced project manager with practical and research experience in sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. She has also worked in Australia, China, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia. Emily completed her Social Science degree (Hon 1st class) at Macquarie University in Australia, majoring in Human Geography. Her studies focused on international aid and politics in the Asia-Pacific region. Research trips to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia led to an Honours thesis that explored the challenges of measuring aid effectiveness in Laos.
KATE GRAHAM
Kate’s interest in the Australia-China relationship is intrinsically linked to her passion for world affairs, languages and culture - hence her choice of career at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade.
Kate is in her fifth year with the Department, and has recently commenced work in DFAT’s Australia-China Council (ACC) which is focused on developing and strengthening Australian and Chinese mutual interests in what is a rapidly expanding relationship.
Prior to her work at the ACC, Kate undertook a Diplomatic posting to the Australian Embassy in Beijing, China. Kate’s posting involved two years of Department sponsored Mandarin language training (one year taught in Canberra, and one year taught in Beijing), followed by a posting to the Political Section at the Australian Embassy in Beijing.
Before her posting, Kate worked in the Consular, Public Diplomacy and Parliamentary Affairs Division of DFAT, where she was responsible for building ‘brand Australia’ and managing Australia’s global image. While working in this division, Kate also undertook a short-term mission to Dili, East Timor, in order to achieve Cultural/Public Diplomacy objectives on behalf of the Department.
Preceding Kate’s move to the Government sector, she worked in the international travel industry for four years, where she managed two successful businesses. Kate took over management of the first business after it had been in successive years of financial loss, and guided it into profit within the financial year, with a $1.3 million turn around in sales. Following this success, she was sought out to establish a brand new travel business, which she grew into a stable profitable position before taking on her position at DFAT.
Whilst back in Canberra, Kate is also undertaking study towards a Master of Asia Pacific Studies at the Australian National University. Kate’s study focuses are Mandarin language as well as political, economic and development studies relevant to the Asia Pacific region.
Kate hopes to continue to build her career as a leader and specialist within the Asia Pacific region over the years to come, and looks forward to using the 2011 ACYD as a platform to engage with peers to gain inspiration and insight regarding issues pertinent to the Australia China bilateral relationship and the Asia Pacific region.
DAVID HOWELL
Born in the United States and educated in Australia, David is a dual citizen of both countries. A Mandarin speaker, David graduated from the University of Sydney with First Class Honours and the University Medal. Currently interning at International Crisis Group in Beijing, he is also a non-resident Research Assistant at the United States Studies Centre, the University of Sydney.
David is an aspiring scholar-diplomat whose interests lie in international security, politics and diplomacy, in addition to the foreign policies of his three home countries: China, Australia and the United States.
HUANG RUI
Rui is a liaison and a research assistant at Australian Studies Center, Sun Yat-Sen University and a 2010 International Journalism graduate from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. He has developed a great interest in Australia since first year at university, which has led him to his current position.
Rui focuses on Sino-Australian bilateral political, economic and trade relations, and China’s public diplomacy and climate change research. Aside from his academic endeavors, Rui co-organised the Sino-Australian SME Summit in 2010 as one of the starting points of his practical research program, through which he wishes to stress the practical function of research outcomes.
During his undergraduate studies, Rui was award- ed the campus-wide Second Prize scholarship twice in 2007 and 2008. Studying international journalism has exposed Rui to international problems and disputes, which has led him to believe that communication is by far the best channel through which mutual understanding should be improved, cooperation enhanced and warfare avoided.
Rui has also undertaken extensive volunteer work in local communities, including his two years of service as President of the College Students’ Association in his hometown Leizhou, during which he organised voluntary teaching programs for tens of primary and middle schools in rural towns, and several other city-wide activities to help local students understand more of the outside world, such as English Speaking Competitions and Experience Sharing events.
His one-year service as deputy minister of the Organization Department, Guangdong Provincial Students’ Union, during which he worked closely with senior provincial government officials and political peers, contributed greatly to his passion for international relations and understanding of politics.
To further promote his expertise and his practical research program, Jason plans to undertake short-term study in Australia in 2012 and help co-ordinate and organize more Australian-related activities to help people in Southern China know more about Australia.
CHRISTOPHER KONG
Christopher was born and bred in Australia. During his academic pursuits, he led a team to win the Richard Ivey School of Business’ Case Competition in Canada. After graduating from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Commerce/Laws (Honours) double-degree in 2003, he went on receive the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
During his career to date, Christopher has made a lasting impact in strategic roles across Asia Pacific at Cadbury Schweppes. After assisting to establish the Regional Headquarters in Singapore, he developed consumer segmentations across business units in Asia Pacific. He was also part of the team that facilitated the smooth integration of two large businesses in Australia.
For five of the past seven years, Christopher has worked on China-related projects, including two years based in Beijing and three years in Singapore. During this time, he enabled a turnaround business to achieve its first year of profits after 15 years of losses in China. He also led a cross-functional team of 15 people, based in Beijing and Guangzhou, to launch a $6 million USD brand.
Outside of work, Christopher is passionate about community engagement. Previously he mentored local tenants to start-up a café on the Richmond public housing estate and was congratulated by then Australian Prime Minister John Howard. In 2006, he was awarded the Earthshare Fellowship to conduct research on cocoa production in Ghana. He also helped to establish the Cadbury China Corporate Social Responsibility Committee in 2009.
More recently, Christopher has been writing a novel about a man’s journey of discovery set on a green tea plantation in mainland China. As part of his research, he has traveled to over 15 different provinces.
In the future, Christopher is looking forward to leveraging his consumer goods strategy experience to other industries and contributing to the Australia-China relationship.
LENG KE
Leng Ke in currently on leave from the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China to complete a Masters of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.
Leng Ke has extensive diplomatic experience, having worked as cultural attaché at the People’s Republic of China Embassy in Pakistan (2005-2008) and as Third Secretary at People’s Republic of Embassy in Poland (2008-2010). He returned to China in 2010 to work as a Protocol Officer for Ministers, Ministry of Culture, where he was responsible for the organisation and management of visits by foreign dignitaries.
A graduate of the Beijing Language and Cultural University, Leng Ke speaks fluent English and French and intends to spend a year in Paris studying at the Institute of Political Science, before returning to the Ministry of Culture.
LU YI
Lu Yi is a senior student focusing on International Economics and Trade at the China Foreign Affairs University. Besides her academic commitments, Yi actively participates in several public affairs organisations in an effort to develop her abilities and global perspective.
Yi was the campus coordinator of “Junior Achievement China” and arranged mock interviews for the students with the cooperation of volunteers from World Top 500 enterprises. She has a great interest in economics and international affairs and represented her university in 2011 at the Harvard Model United Nations in Singapore.
Yi has worked for Deloitte in China and for the Hong Kong-China Interns Association where she helped many Mainland Chinese students find internship opportunities in Hong Kong.
Yi is very excited to be a participant at the Australia-China Youth Dialogue and to have the chance to share her views on the China-Australia relationship with speakers and delegates alike, and looks forward visiting Australia.
WILL MCCALLUM
Will McCallum is Manager of Communications at Asialink and the Asia Society Austral-Asia Centre - one of Australia’s leading organisations for the promotion of Australia-Asia engagement. As part of this role he also promotes the activities of the Asia Education Foundation and Asia Australia Mental Health.
Prior to this Will worked in Hong Kong for video production company Asia Pacific Vision, whilst earning a Master of Journalism degree at the University of Hong Kong. He has programmed, filmed and edited a wide variety of video content and produced stories for Radio Australia. He has also worked on the production of an international young leaders dialogue, broadcast on Indonesia’s SCTV network.
Will has interned for Channel 10, Thomas Crampton of Ogilvy Public Relations and participated in the Victorian Parliamentary internship program
He holds an honours degree in Political Science and Chinese Language from the University of Melbourne and Beijing University. His honours thesis focused on nationalist discourses in Chinese new media in the lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has travelled widely in China and throughout East and South-east Asia.
DOMINIC MEAGHER
Dominic Meagher is a Rio Tinto China Scholar in the final stages of his PhD in economics at the ANU. The central objective of his thesis is to analyse recent aspects of change and non-linearity in the energy use – economic growth relationship in China with an eye to how China’s recent changes fit into broader patterns in energy use observed across many countries as their economies evolve and develop. A few key questions inspire the inquiry. Why is China consuming so much energy? Is China’s economy peculiar in its huge and rapidly growing consumption of energy or does it conform with the experience of other countries? Do the bewilderingly rapid changes to China’s economy alter the relationship between the economy and its use of energy and if so, how? What can we say about China’s energy future and its impact on the world?
Dominic first became interested in China while interning at the Asia-Australia Institute in Sydney. He has previously lived in China where he learned to speak mandarin. He spent some time teaching at the Shaanxi University of Technology before moving to the ANU to study for a Masters degree in development economics. In 2007 Dominic interned with Citi (Hong Kong) where he authored a report concluding that changes to financial regulation and macroeconomic policy in the 10 years since the Asian crisis had not made a repeat event substantially unlikely. After leaving Citi, Dominic returned to the ANU as project manager for the China Economy Program. At the ANU he was involved in the East Asia Forum and the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research. He has been heavily involved in projects relating to energy and climate change.
Dominic holds a Masters in development economics and a BA (Hons) in political science, international relations and history. He intends to work in China upon completion of his PhD.
ANDREA MYLES
Andrea Myles has had a fascination with China since first adventuring across it solo in 2002. Since then she has pursued her passion by obtaining a Master of Arts in International Studies (China) in 2006 and a Master of Arts in China Studies in 2011, from the University of Technology, Sydney. She has spent 6 and 12 month periods studying Mandarin at the National Political University in Taipei and at Yunnan Normal University, Yunnan Province.
Her area of expertise is rural development in China, particularly regarding great western development and ethnic minority and tourist areas. Professionally, her field is education development, most recently in projects that foster greater engagement between Australia and China . Andrea has worked at the University of Technology, Sydney since 2004 and in 2009-2010 she worked in Shangri-la, Yunnan province at the Eastern Tibet Training Institute in donor relations and communications. Since returning from Shangri-la, she has managed the 2011 Australia – China Business Leaders Forum in Beijing and begun an Asia Literacy Ambassadorship with Asialink, partnering with a school in rural South Australia to increase participation in Asia-related subjects.
She would like to increase international tertiary education opportunities for rural folk in China and has worked closely with another ACYD delegate Danma Niu, who is from China’s rural west. She remains committed to Australia – China relations and the is excited at the potential for greater engagement opportunities.
ANDREW NICHOLLS
Andrew’s engagement with China started from an early age. He began learning Mandarin in primary school from the age of six, and visited the mainland for the first time in Year 11 as part of his senior school’s China trip.
While undertaking a double degree in Law and Arts (Media & Communications) at the University of Melbourne, Andrew continued his Mandarin studies with a concurrent Diploma in Modern Languages (Chinese). He was awarded a Chinese Government Scholarship in 2008 to further study Mandarin and Chinese law at Tsinghua University in Beijing. During his time at Tsinghua University, Andrew became involved in the early development of ACYA and served as ACYA’s first China Representative.
Upon his return to Australia, Andrew became President of ACYA’s University of Melbourne Chapter and set about establishing ACYA’s presence on campus and throughout Melbourne. He also became a member of the Melbourne Chinese Law Society where he briefly served as their Alumni Representative.
After graduation, Andrew took up employment at the Victorian branch of the Australia-China Business Council (ACBC) as Communications Officer. There he was responsible for establishing the ACBC Victorian Branch Newsletter and preparation of news articles and interviews of interest to Melbourne’s Australia-China business community. During his time at ACBC, Andrew also became involved in helping establish the Australia-China Young Professionals Initiative (ACYPI) in Melbourne and also began studying Bahasa Indonesia.
Since March this year, Andrew has been undertaking his Graduate year at the global law firm DLA Piper. As part of the Melbourne Finance & Projects Team, he has a strong focus on renewable energy projects in Australia and overseas.
PENG JINGCHAO
Peng Jingchao is a graduate of the University of International Relations in Beijing, where he was awarded a BA in English in June 2008. He is currently a Research Assistant at the China and Global Security Programme of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an international think tank that is dedicated to research on arms control, arms transfers and world conflict and security issues. Prior to his position in SIPRI, Peng Jingchao worked as a Junior Researcher at Kroll Beijing, an American business-consulting firm.
Peng Jingchao’s research focuses on China’s foreign policy and security issues. His current work concentrates primarily on China’s strategic interests in the Arctic, China-Russia energy relations, as well as China’s energy and security interests in Central Asia.
His research has been presented at the ‘Taiwan Second Track Dialogue’ conference of Stiftung Wissenschaft Politik (“From economic cooperation to the building of cross-Strait mutual political trust: a view from Beijing”) and he has contributed to SIPRI Insights Paper “China prepares for an ice-free Arctic”and SIPRI Policy Report “New Foreign Policy Actors in China”. In 2011, Peng was recognised as a Global Emerging Voices Fellow.
Peng Jingchao is the co-author of the forthcoming SIPRI Policy Report “China’s energy and security relations with Russia”.
JACOB TAYLOR
Jacob’s involvement with China has developed in the areas of social anthropology and sport. Jacob is interested in the potential of sport, such as his own sport of rugby union, to act as a space for meaningful intercultural exchange between China and Australia. In 2006 Jacob received an ACC ‘Year in China’ scholarship to study at Liaoning University, Shenyang.
In 2008, Jacob returned to China to work at the Beijing Olympics, before completing an exchange semester in sociology and social anthropology at Peking University. Since 2006, Jacob has developed strong ties with the Chinese rugby community, spending extended periods of time training and playing with various teams, most notably the Chinese National team.
In 2010, while representing the Australian Rugby Sevens team in the IRB World Series, Jacob completed his combined honours thesis in Anthropology and Chinese studies, entitled Tackling Rugby in China, for which he received a Sydney University Medal. Jacob has been named vice captain of the Australian Rugby Sevens team for the upcoming 2011/12 IRB Sevens season, and is also drawing on his knowledge of sport and China to assist the Australian Rugby Union in their formulation of an Asia Pacific strategy.
WANG ZEKAI
Zekai Wang is currently the Co-Chair and Executive Director of the Global Sustainable Leaders Forum (GSLF), which is supported by the United Nations Youth Program, UN Secretary-General Climate Change Support Team and nearly 100 global youth organisations.
As a major event in Asia Pacific to celebrate United Nations International Year of Youth, the forum gathered more than 200 speakers (the honourable speakers including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (online), and the Boao Asia Forum Secretary-General Long Yongtu. GSLF runs four main programs: an Annual forum, China social innovation fellowship, youth organizations development project and 2012+ Youth Sustainable Initiative.
In the past, Zekai has been the National Director in AIESEC Mainland of China 2008-2009. He worked full-time for one year to lead a 300 person volunteer sales team based in over ten Chinese cities, managing partnerships with more than 200 organizations in China and travelling to more than 20 countries for conferences and partnership meetings.
After his position with AIESEC, Zekai Wang co-founded an initiative called “Global Climate Change Youth Congress 2009-Model United Nations COP15 in Beijing” and was a Chinese youth delegate to United Nations COP15 conference.
WEI SHUGE
Shuge is a PhD student at the Australian National University. She holds a B.A. degree in English and journalism with a Best Thesis Award from Beijing Foreign Studies University and a M.A. from Heidelberg University, Germany, where she received the Fellowship scholarship provided by the Heidelberg Centre for American Studies.
Passionate about Sino-foreign communications, Shuge is undertaking research on the Guomindang Government’s foreign propaganda in English-language press from 1928 to 1941. Her study is fully funded by the ANU and the IDP Foundation. The project sheds light on China’s dilemma in the power struggle between the West and Japan in the inter-war period, the intricate media environment in the cosmopolitan Shanghai, and the formation of a centralized foreign propaganda system. By reviewing the past, Shuge seeks to deepen the understanding of China’s pursuit of soft power today.
Shuge has authored research articles on China and Japan’s rivalry in the English-language press and presented papers at Asia-Pacific Week (2009) and the conference of Chinese Studies Association of Australia (2010). She delivers lectures on interpreting, Chinese culture and language, tutors modern Japanese society and works as research assistant on these issues at the ANU. She was a visiting scholar to the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (2009) and Academia Sinica (2009). She also organized the History Graduate Seminar of School of Culture, History and Language at the ANU from September 2010 to August 2011.
Prior to undertaking PhD studies, Shuge was regional specialist for Athena Wissenscharftsmarketing, Germany. Undertaking an internship within the International Department of the Xinhua news agency also provided her with inside knowledge about journalism practices in China.
TOM WILLIAMS
Thomas Williams is currently completing his Asian Studies Honours and Law degree for the University of Western Australia on exchange at Peking University in China as part of the Prime Minister Endeavour Award. He is the Director of Education of the Beijing Chapter of the Australia-China Youth Association. He is also in the process of establishing a 180Degrees Consulting Branch for NGOs in Beijing. In the future he hopes to co-establish with University friends a study-volunteering-adventure tour programme for Australian secondary students in China.
Tom has long felt that young people need to actively engage themselves with their local and wider communities as they have the greatest potential to sustain positive change and the greatest vested interest in the future. The key aspect of this engagement is education as it is the most empowering process to affect real personal and social progress. To this end he has previously worked with the UNDP and Commonwealth Youth Programme to inaugurate the Wansolwara Youth Peace Building Conference which provides Pacific youth leaders with the necessary educational materials, training, contacts and sources of funding to formulate and implement peace and conflict resolution strategies in their Pacific home islands. He has also led the UWA Fogarty Scholar’s Expedition North which endowed scholars with a better understanding of the systemic socio-economic, legal, and health constraints facing indigenous and rural Australia through touring prisons, work camps, hospitals, energy projects and indigenous community centres and spending time with local school teachers and students.
Tom hopes over the next few years to complete a Masters in Asian Studies and then start an education oriented organisation in China.
Even though Tom greatly enjoys living in the vivacious human vibrancy that is Beijing, he does occasionally long for the miracle of Australian beaches and sunshine.
BEN XU
Ben Xu is www.qq.com Microblog Opening Platform Manager,Tencent with Tencent. Ben Xu has worked in Tencent for more than 4 years, starting to organize the opening platform team for Tencent micro-blog service since July, 2010, which has become the first choice for China’s Internet companies to cooperate with.
Ben Xu graduated from Beijing Polytechnic University in 2000, working as the web reporter for “Popular Science News” since the end of that year. He has been as an online reporter for ten years.
He joined China’s largest IT professional website eNet (www.eNet.com.cn) in 2002, and became the senior editor of Sina (www.sina.com.cn), one of China’s largest portal websites in 2004, working as the host of Sina’s program “President online” as well. He also founded “Silver Age”, a business talk show at the same period. The two programs are the most popular the start-up field of Chinese Internet business sites.
YANG YAWEI
Yang Yawei is undertaking a Bachelor of Laws and Arts (Diplomacy) at China Foreign Affairs University and has just completed a semester’s study at Barnard College, Columbia University. During her undergraduate studies, she has received the Zhang Wenjin Scholarship and First Prize Scholarship. She has also received the Excellent All China Youth Federation Member prize for two consecutive years (2009 and 2010).
Besides her academic achievements, Yawei has demonstrated her capability in internatonal communication. As the Executive President of the China University Media Union, she has actively organised and participated in several international communication programs.
In 2011, Yawei, as one of 10 Team Leaders in China-US Youth Research, Mentorship and Exchange Partnership promoted mutual understanding when cooperating with Ivy League students in several on-site research programs in Inner Mongolia. Yawei has also represented China at several international programs, such as the United Nations Development Program’s Greater Mekong Sub-regional Youth Program.
In pursuing her passion for promoting understanding through communication, Yawei has had the opportunity to meet key international figures, including Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and David Mulroney, Canada’s Ambassador to China. She has also spent time with youth delegates including Ivy League delegates and Saudi Arabian youth delegates. She has interviewed business pacesetters such as CEO of RIM in a series of activities for The Dialogue with the World. She has also published in The China Youth Daily and The Beijing News.
As the Vice President of CFAU Student Union, Yawei is leading a research group focusing on mass communication via new media under the instruction of the All China Youth Federation. She is also responsible for organizing the National Foreign Knowledge and Etiquette Competition. Yawei is also co-founder of CFAU SIFE Team (Students in Free Enterprise), a global non-profit organization educating people on concepts like market economics, entrepreneurship, and business ethics through educational outreach projects.
HELEN ZHANG
Helen Zhang is currently a Graduate Associate at Mallesons Stephen Jaques (Beijing office) in the Banking and Finance practice group, where she assists the firm with its structured derivative products and bond market capabilities in the PRC. She recently completed her Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the ANU and will soon be admitted as an Australian-qualified lawyer in December 2011.
Prior to joining Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Helen was awarded the inaugural Australia-China Council – Aust-Cham Young Leaders Scholarship, which gave her the opportunity to begin her graduate career in China. Under this scholarship programme, Helen worked as the AustCham Greater China Coordinator for the China-Australian Chambers of Commerce in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. In this role, Helen successfully facilitated the first stage of the three Chambers’ amalgamation process across Greater China. As part of the scholarship programme, Helen also interned in the Economic Section of the Australian Embassy in Beijing, where she assisted with researching and producing briefs on some of Australia-China’s key economic issues.
Helen graduated from the ANU in 2010 with a combined Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Asian Studies (Specialist), within which she majored in Mandarin, Asian Politics and International Relations. In 2008, Helen was awarded the Cheung-Kung Foundation Scholarship and undertook her ‘Year in China’ programme at Tsinghua University in Beijing, where she studied courses in advanced Chinese language and literature, Chinese law, international development and public policy.
Helen has long been committed to the Australia-China relationship and demonstrated this through her diverse range of work experiences in China. She has worked with Network Seven during the Beijing Olympics in 2008, interned with the United Nations Development Programme and Reuters Beijing in the Text and Television teams. Helen has also had public sector work experience with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Outside of work and study, Helen enjoys radio broadcasting, playing touch football and theatrical acting.
CAROL H ZHAO
Carol Carol H Zhao is a graduate of Melbourne University with a B.A. in Political Science and History. In 2009 she completed a M.A.( International Politics. In 2006 she undertook a one-year exchange at the Boston University’s Political Science Department.
Carol was awarded the Hamish Malcolm Memorial Prize in Political Science during her M.A. study at the University of Melbourne. During her time in Melbourne, Carol lived with the Yorta-Yorta indigenous Australian community conducting research on improving livelihoods within indigenous communities. Carol also participated in several conferences and workshops during her time in Australia, such as ‘The European Union and Globalization’.
In 2010, Carol joined Phoenix Satellite Television serving as a Public Liaison Officer/Associate Producer/ Journalist with the “Talking with World Leaders,” program, which reveals compelling insights into the minds of key world figures, celebrities, prominent political leaders and scholars whose decisions influence politics and public policy worldwide.
In her capacity as Public Liaison Officer, Carol has been intimately involved in preparing, conducting and translating interviews with over 50 world leaders, including: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Prime Minister of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra, President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, Kevin Rudd, Iranian Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Akbar Salehi, Israel Vice-President and Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, Vice Prime Minister of New Zealand, Bill English, former Pakistan Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, President of Chile Miguel Pinera, and former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Carol has published extracts of her personal diary “Days of studying at Melbourne University” in The Chinese Business Magazine and has also been published in The Beijing Times. After interviewing Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Carol wrote and published The Most Exciting Days in Libya.
Carol currently lives in Beijing with her family.
MIMI ZOU
Mimi migrated to Sydney, Australia from Guangzhou, China at the age of seven. She has maintained strong personal and profe sional connections with China, and has been actively involved in the Chinese and wider community in Australia. She was a recipient of the 2010 New South Wales Premier’s Chinese Community Service Awards, and a finalist in the 2009 Young Australian of the Year Awards.
Mimi is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, and has worked in China for international organisations, law firms and financial institutions. She has also collaborated with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Law on a variety of research projects. Mimi is currently working as a consultant on a labour law project at the China office of the International Labour Organization.
Mimi graduated from the University of Sydney with Bachelor of Economics (Hons I & University Medal) and Bachelor of Laws (Hons I). She also studied at the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University for a semester on the Cheung Kong Endeavour Australia Scholarship. Mimi has recently completed the Bachelor of Civil Law with Distinction (Hons I) at the University of Oxford. She is a qualified lawyer in New South Wales, England and Wales.
Mimi is currently reading for a Doctor of Philosophy in Law at Oxford on a Commonwealth Scholarship from the UK government.
ZOU TONG
Tong is a senior student from Beijing, where she attends the High School affiliated to Renmin University of China (RDFZ).
Tong currently serves as the President of the RDFZ Student Union and leads several student organisations. During the summer of 2010, she was the school representative at the Student Global Leadership Institute, Punahou School, USA.
Owing to her strong sense of social responsibility, Tong has served as the Chairman of the Little Angels Action Fund of the China Youth Development Foundation since 2010. She has previously organised a fund raising fun-run at China’s National Stadium and designed music-teaching materials for students in Western China, which have benefited 55 schools. In 2011, she initiated a year- long charity concert tour and piano teacher lessons for the elderly and people with a disability.
Tong is the author of “Climate Change and Its Impacts on the Poverty-Stricken Areas in China” and has presented her work at the 2010 East- Asia Symposium on the Environment, Korea. She is also the co-author of a UNESCO educational research project, “The Summer Palace – Current Situation and Solutions to Problems in the Preservation of Cultural Heritage” and has been invited to speak at the 5th Beijing International Forum on Education for Sustainable Development, as the founder of “One Bottle Less”, a campaign to reduce bottled water consumption.
As an active public speaker, Tong has won numerous awards including Peking University’s National Model United Nations Conference and Primary School English Speech Competitions.
Aside from her academic and philanthropic pursuits, Tong is also an aspiring young pianist. Starting her career in 2005, she has played five concertos with prestigious Chinese orchestras including the China Philharmonic Orchestra, with two recitals in Beijing and Shanghai, and participated in three international summer music academies in China, France, and Austria.