Southeast Asia Update Panellists

Professor Michael Wesley

As Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global, Culture and Engagement at the University of Melbourne, Professor Wesley provides leadership across the University, with overall responsibility for strategic guidance and expert advice on external and global engagement, government and corporate affairs, and the University’s cultural estate. 

He is also Professor of Politics at the University of Melbourne. His research and writing focuses on Australian foreign policy and the international affairs of Asia and the Pacific.

Dr Tania Miletic

Dr Tania Miletic is Co-Director of the Initiative for Peacebuilding at the University of Melbourne, where she drives applied research and policy innovation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Her work focuses on elevating locally grounded knowledge and translating evidence into practical policy and program change. 

Dr Trissia Wijaya

Dr Trissia Wijaya is a McKenzie Research Fellow at the Asia Institute. Her current research focuses sit at the intersection of geopolitical economy and responses to it in East Asia, encompassing green infrastructure financing, industrial policy, and critical mineral development. 

Melissa Conley Tyler

Melissa Conley Tyler is an Honorary Fellow in the Asia Institute of The University of Melbourne. Melissa is a prolific commentator with expertise in Australian foreign policy, Australia’s key relationships across Asia and the practice of diplomacy Melissa has a track record of decades of experience in Australian foreign policy.

Professor Peter Dean

Professor Peter Dean is Senior Adviser for Defence Strategy at the United States Studies Centre and Professor of Strategic Studies at the Australian National University. He previously directed USSC's Foreign Policy and Defence Program, co-led the 2023 Defence Strategic Review Secretariat, and chaired Defence Studies at the University of Western Australia.

Professor Vedi Hadiz

Professor Vedi Hadiz is Professor of Asian Studies and Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, where he previously served as Director. He has also held senior roles at Murdoch University's Asia Research Centre and the National University of Singapore. His research focuses on political sociology and political economy, particularly the contradictions of development in Indonesia, Southeast Asia and, more recently, the Middle East. 

Sebastian Dettman

Sebastian Dettman is a Lecturer in Public Policy at the University of Melbourne. He researches elections, governance, and democratisation in ethnically diverse societies, with a focus on Southeast Asia. His work examines how politicians and political parties build cross-ethnic support in ethnically polarised societies, and how democratisation changes both elite and voter behaviour in elections and governing. 

Dr Charlotte Setijadi

Dr Charlotte Setijadi is a Lecturer in Asian Studies and Head of Program for Asian Studies at the Asia Institute. An anthropologist, she researches Chinese Indonesian identity politics, Indonesian political culture, and diaspora and transnational migration. Her research has appeared in journals including the Journal of Contemporary China and Asian Survey, and her commentary on Indonesian politics has featured in outlets such as The Economist, The New York Times and The Guardian.

Rachel Thompson

As Chief Executive Officer of Asialink, Rachel brings to the role more than two decades of experience shaping Australia’s economic, financial, and regional engagement across Asia. 

She previously served on the Asian Development Bank's Board of Directors and as Senior Treasury Representative at the Australian Embassy in Beijing. She has also held senior roles in the Australian Treasury, including Chief of Staff to the Secretary, and helped establish the Future Fund.

Sri Mulyani Indrawati

Professor Sri Mulyani Indrawati is one of Indonesia's longest-serving Ministers of Finance and the first woman to hold the role. She served under three different presidents, guiding Indonesia through three major economic crises: the Asian Financial Crisis, the Global Financial Crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond Indonesia, she's held top roles at the World Bank and the IMF, She's been named the world's Best Minister at World Government Summit in 2018 and the Euromoney's Finance Minister of the Year in 2006, and is a Blavatnik World Leaders Fellow.

Dr Dharendra Wardhana

Dr Dharendra Wardhana is a Research Fellow at the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He previously spent over a decade with Indonesia's Ministry of Planning (BAPPENAS), working across development and economic policy roles. 

Dr Angelia Grant

Dr Angelia Grant is the Deputy Secretary of the Macroeconomic Group in the Australian Treasury. The Macroeconomic Group monitors and assesses economic conditions and prospects, both in Australia and overseas. It delivers economic advice on fiscal and monetary policy settings and on the structural drivers of Australia’s medium-term prospects, including demographic developments, productivity and climate change.

She has also previously held other senior macroeconomic positions, including First Assistant Secretary, Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy Division and Macroeconomic Conditions Division in the Australian Treasury. 

Melissa Conley Tyler

Melissa Conley-Tyler is an Honorary Fellow in the Asia Institute of The University of Melbourne. Melissa is a prolific commentator with expertise in Australian foreign policy, Australia’s key relationships across Asia and the practice of diplomacy Melissa has a track record of decades of experience in Australian foreign policy.

Dr Kidjie Saguin

Kidjie is a Lecturer in Public Policy at the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on comparative public policy with a substantive focus on social policy in the Global South. His most recent project involvements examine how labour sending countries extend the delivery of social services to migrant workers abroad and how they provide services to these workers upon their return. 

Associate Professor Laavanya Kathiravelu

Laavanya is Associate Professor in Sociology at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Associate Chair of Graduate and Continuing Education, School of Social Sciences. Her research sits at the intersections between migration & citizenship, urban studies, and race and ethnicity. Drawing from Asia and the Gulf, her work seeks to broaden epistemological frameworks in the social sciences. 

Dr Tiara Marthias

Tiara is a health systems researcher focused on health equity and equitable access to quality health services, with particular interests spanning Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (RMNCH), health financing and evidence-based budgeting, and primary health care. 

She has contributed to the development of RMNCH financing policy and was the lead consultant for the development of Indonesia's national strategy for adolescent wellbeing, working closely with senior government policymakers on health programme planning and evaluation. 

Rachel Thompson

As Chief Executive Officer of Asialink, Rachel brings to the role more than two decades of experience shaping Australia’s economic, financial, and regional engagement across Asia. 

She previously served on the Asian Development Bank's Board of Directors and as Senior Treasury Representative at the Australian Embassy in Beijing. She has also held senior roles in the Australian Treasury, including Chief of Staff to the Secretary, and helped establish the Future Fund.

Janet Salem

Janet Salem is co-founder of FootprintLab, which integrates sustainability data into financial systems. She spent 17 years at the United Nations working on sustainability, circular economy and sustainable lifestyles across Vienna, Paris and Bangkok. 

Kylie Porter

Kylie is the Group Sustainability Director at SunRice, holding over 20 years of experience across corporate affairs, sustainability strategy and ESG risk management. Kylie has deep expertise in business strategy, corporate affairs and sustainability practices including advising executives and boards on managing sustainability-related risks and developing and implementing policies across thematic areas such as climate change, human rights, including modern slavery, and international development. 

Gobie Rajalingam

Gobie Rajalingam is co-founder and director of Orijem Timor, a specialty coffee company connecting Timorese farmers to premium markets in Australia, Indonesia and Japan. He is also Senior Advisor at The Asia Foundation, advising governments and development partners across Southeast Asia on economic development, political economy and private sector engagement.

Jeanette Cheah

Jeanette Cheah is the founder and CEO of HEX, an education technology and experience company shaping young leaders through innovation, entrepreneurship, and future-focused programs. Twice named one of Australia’s Top 100 Innovators, Jeanette sits on Victoria's International Education Advisory Council, and helped design Monash Business School’s Entrepreneurship major. She advises governments, universities, schools and businesses on future skills, employability, and cross-generational leadership – empowering people to create the world they want to live in.

Phat “James” Pumchawsaun

As Southeast Asia Lead at Climateworks Centre, Phat oversees the Centre's portfolio of programs and partnerships across the region, with a focus on fostering international collaboration towards the net zero transition. 

An energy transition and decarbonisation specialist, Phat has more than a decade of experience working on climate change mitigation and energy in Southeast Asia. He came to Climateworks from the United Nations Development Programme, where he was Chief Technical Advisor for a program focused on enhancing climate resilience in Thailand.

Places are limited. Register today to secure your place at the 2026 Southeast Asia Update including your preferred panels for each session.

The 2026 Southeast Asia Update is delivered by Asialink and the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne through the support of the ASEAN-Australia Centre.