Founder’s Welcome
Dear friends of the Australia-China Youth Dialogue (ACYD),
This Summary Report chronicles the what, why and who of the sixth ACYD, held in Brisbane, Australia, from December 4-7, 2015. The ACYD Board and its Executive Team worked tirelessly throughout the year to execute this unique and dynamic meeting of minds between Australia and Greater China’s emerging and current leaders.
Via our Global Alumni Network, our Partners, our Leadership Council and many friends, the ACYD Board and its Executive Team selected 30 delegates across Australia, Greater China, and the world-at large, with the aim of attracting an inter-disciplinary, high- calibre blend of Australian and Chinese citizens aged 25-40; men and women with a demonstrable sense of intellectual curiosity, active civic duty, and authentic leadership as demonstrated by track records of success in their chosen fields.
As usual, our delegates represented a rich array of backgrounds, including: corporate executives; key government ministry officials; an elected member of the Australian Federal Parliament; finance, law and engineering professionals; cutting-edge scientists; think-tank intellectuals; and creative industry thought leaders. This year’s delegates will join the 150 ACYD delegate alumni who are moving into positions of influence and leadership across the spectrum of the Australia-Greater China dynamic. The depth, breadth, and scale of the broader ACYD alumni network – delegates, organisers, and speakers – presents a platform of unparalleled access, ideas generation, and scope for spin-off collaboration.
The ACYD Board and its Executive Team believes that access to unique networks and peer support between high-performing, internationally-oriented Australians and Chinese drawn from a range of sectors provides a carefully calibrated people-to-people exchange force multiplier. It is in this privileged sphere that the ACYD functions to the net benefit of Australia-Greater China relations.
The ACYD Board and its Executive Team wishes to express our sincere thanks for the ongoing support of our Partners, our Leadership Council and our Global Alumni Network. It is with their collective ongoing support that we look forward to planning, crafting and executing the seventh ACYD in 2016.
We hope you enjoy this Summary Report.
HENRY F. MAKEHAM
Founder and Chair of the Board