James Tang

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. 

Harry Li

Partnerships Manager

Harry has been involved in the Australia China space since he moved to Perth, Australia, in 2014 from Chengdu as an international student. He has organised as well as assisted multiple conferences and events in both China and Australia; he believes the importance of active engagement between two nations and this lead his path to Australia China Youth Dialogue since 2022.

Harry has recently completed his MBA at University of Western Australia. He has worked as Business Development Consultant across a range of 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), and he is also a NAATI certified provisional interpreter.

Maggie qian

Communications Manager

Maggie is a Media and Communication Manager at Fortescue based in Shanghai. She helps to build brand awareness and reputation for Fortescue in China by creating stories about Fortescue’s engagement with Chinese customers and suppliers and establishing relations with Chinese media.

Prior to Fortescue, Maggie has 16 years of comprehensive experiences in the corporate communications and marketing communications with industries across manufacturing, semiconductor, energy and resources sectors. Her jobs span a broad spectrum of outbound marketing and communication activities from planning to execution, covering public relations, media relations, social media engagement and corporate social responsibility projects.

Maggie is passionate about sharing her knowledge of international affairs and an international perspective on social and cultural exchanges. She hopes to further promote the bilateral relations between Australia and China in the ACYD Dialogue.

Maggie holds a Master of Business Administration from BI Norwegian Business School & School of Management Fudan University.

GABRIELA POWELL THOMAS

Special Projects Manager

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

Gabriela completed her Bachelor 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 18 the 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.

Gabriela is currently a tutor of Chinese language and Asian economies at The Australian National University. Outside of university, she enjoys reading, playing cards with friends, and basketball. She graduated from the Conservatorium High School in Violin and Voice and continues to enjoy playing music.

CIARA MORRIS

Curation Manager

Ciara Morris is a PhD Candidate at City University Hong Kong, researching Australian and Chinese nationalism, public opinion, and foreign policy. Ciara is also a part-time Editor at China Policy, a policy analysis and strategic advisory firm, and Director at Young China Watchers Hong Kong Chapter. Before moving to Hong Kong, Ciara worked as a principal researcher on the Australian Academy of Humanities' Australia's China Knowledge Capability project funded by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations. Ciara has also worked as a policy officer at China Matters, former policy institute in Sydney, and as a research intern at APCO Worldwide Consulting in Beijing. 

Ciara has a Master of Public Administration from the School of Government at Peking University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Government and International Relations and Chinese Studies from the University of Sydney. 

Jessie hu

Treasury Manager

Jessie Hu is currently a finance business partner at Paragon Care, where she works closely with senior leadership to drive strategic business improvements & 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 within 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 more future emerging leaders from different industries to connect.

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

BLAZE PUKSAND

Logistics Manager

Blaze has over a decade of experience working in education in both Australia and China, specialising in the teaching of Global Politics and Mandarin. Blaze currently works at Asialink, facilitating intercultural connections between Australian and Asian young leaders, as well as providing Chinese capability and language training across business, government, education, and the arts. Prior to education, Blaze held various positions in the Australian Government and the Aid and Development sector.

Blaze is passionate about cross-cultural relationships and supporting people-to-people connections. As an educator, she is driven by the need to cultivate critical thinking and media literacy in our future leaders, ensuring that they are prepared to tackle the complex global challenges that await them. 

Blaze holds a Master of Teaching from The University of Melbourne, a Bachelor of Arts (Global) from Monash University and has completed extended studies at King’s College London, Beijing Language and Culture University and Shanghai International Studies University.

Blaze’s other interests include growing vegetables, craft beer and Chinese rap.

MENGHU XIA

Technology Manager 

Menghu Xia (Tiger) is a PhD Candidate majoring in Politics & International Relations with University New South Wales Canberra and Academic Tutor at Australian National University. He serves as the graduate student representative of the Executive Committee of International Studies Association (ISA) Asia-Pacific. In 2023, he served as the President of UNSW Canberra student organization. He was awarded with University International Postgraduate Award (UIPA) scholarship in 2022. His research interests include Australia-China relation, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China relation, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Asia-Pacific Politics. His PhD thesis examines the role of ASEAN as a regional organization in China's BRI. 

From July 2019 to 2020, He worked as the project manager with University of Malaya in an international Erasmus+ research project and the research funding was around 680,000 Euro. He has a few publications in peer-reviewed journals in English and Chinese. He has presented his research in several international conferences including Indonesia, Japan and U.S. He also speaks some Indonesian. 

He enjoys sports, travelling and intercultural communication. He was a varsity basketball player during undergraduate and postgraduate time. He believes international travelling and intercultural communication are the essential ways to reduce stereotypes, misconceptions, and distrust between states.