Find out more about the Asialink Leaders Program

What is the Asialink Leaders Program?

The Asialink Leaders Program is a professional program that runs in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Each year, over a nine-month period, the program brings together 50+ outstanding participants from a wide variety of sectors.

How does the Leaders Program benefit participants?

Enhances participants’ knowledge of contemporary Asian societies
Develops participants’ high level cultural intelligence skills to manage the complexity of Australia-Asia relations
Provides participants’ with access to leading Asia specialists in Australia and the region
Integrates participants into a supportive network of over 400 active alumni in Australia and the Asian region
Gives organisations a contemporary Asian focused context for strategy building

What are the components of the Leaders Program?

		Workshops with Asia Experts Workshops equip participants to achieve business and leadership goals in settings very different from Australia
		Dinner Series Dinners provide the opportunity for participants to be briefed on and discuss Asia-related issues with experts from different fields
		Canberra Retreat This five-day module immerses participants in the current Asia policy challenges facing Australia’s leadership. Read reports on the outcomes of the most recent retreats.
		Workplace Project Participants undertake a project with the aim of progressing Asia-Australia relationships. Read about some of the Leaders’ most exciting and successful projects.

For more detailed information about the various components of the Leaders Program, please download the Leaders Program Additional Information pack. [pdf, 307kb, 2 pages]

Also see our sample program schedules [pdf, 389kb, 2 pages]

Who presents at and facilitates the Leaders Program?

Distinguished speakers at Asialink Leaders Program events are chosen from a wide range of sectors, and have included:

The Hon. Stephen Smith, former Minister for Foreign Affairs
Professor Cheng Li, Director, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Brookings Institute, Washington DC
Michelle Grattan, Political Editor, The Age
H.E. Mr Shigekazu Sato, Japan's Ambassador to Australia
Professor Tim Lindsey, Director, Asia Law Institute, The University of Melbourne
David Chu, Managing Director, Shinewing McBain
Dimity Fifer, CEO, Australian Volunteers International

The key facilitators and speakers for the Asialink Leaders Program include:

		Julia Fraser is the Associate Director of Asialink and Co-Director of Asia-Australia Mental Health. She has been the Director of the Asialink Leaders Program since 2002.
		Dr Margaret Byrne is Principal, UGM Consulting. She is one of the world’s foremost experts on cultural intelligence, and is known for the way she balances intellectual rigour with a passion for practical outcomes that make a measurable difference.
		Professor Anthony (Tony) Milner is Basham Professor of Asian History at the Australia National University, and Co-Chair of the Australian Committee of the Council for the Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific.
		Dr Grant Robertson has a PhD in leadership. He is deeply interested in strategic thinking, strategic planning and change, consulting in these fields to a range of organisations across all industry sectors.
		Professor Adrian Vickers is Professor of Southeast Asian Studies, University of Sydney. He has studied Indonesia for almost thirty years, over that period observing the shifts in relations between Australia and Indonesia.
		Professor Andrew O’Neil is the Director of Griffith University’s Asia Institute. His research interests include regional security and geopolitics in Asia, including nuclear issues.
		David Paroissien is Program Manager for The Asialink Leaders program and Asia Australia Mental Health (AAMH).
		Julia Madden is the Alumni Manager for The Asialink Leaders Program, and is a fellow of the 2010 Asialink Leaders Program.