About
Photo Courtesy of the APEC Secretariat, www.apec.org
Executive Training
Photo Courtesy of the APEC Secretariat, www.apec.org
Executive Training
Strengthening regional economic integration and prosperity across Asia and the Pacific is the Centre’s driving purpose.
We have an enviable record in designing and delivering tailored training programs and capacity building programs for government,
business, not-for-profits and academic institutions.
Strengthening regional economic integration and prosperity across Asia and the Pacific is the Centre’s driving purpose.
We have an enviable record in designing and delivering tailored training programs and capacity building programs for government,
business, not-for-profits and academic institutions.
Photo Courtesy of the APEC Secretariat, www.apec.org
Executive Training
Strengthening regional economic integration and prosperity across Asia and the Pacific is the Centre’s driving purpose.
We have an enviable record in designing and delivering tailored training programs and capacity building programs for government,
business, not-for-profits and academic institutions.
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Meet the Team
Executive Chair
The Hon Dr Craig Emerson
Dr Craig Emerson is an eminent economist, holding a PhD in economics from the Australian National University, with 35 years of experience in public policy, politics and public service.
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To contact Craig:
Please contact kevin.nguyen@rmit.edu.au
Director, Asia Hub
Ms Bonnie Rivendell
Bonnie Rivendell is the Director of the Asia Hub at RMIT University, bringing over twenty years’ experience in international higher education and transnational partnerships across the Asia-Pacific.
She leads the Asia Hub team to advance RMIT’s regional presence, foster collaborative research, and create opportunities for students and staff, with a focus on cross-cultural collaboration, development, and positive impact. Bonnie works with industry, government, and education partners to achieve meaningful outcomes for RMIT and its communities.
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ABAC Australia Lead Staffer and Consultant to the AASC
Ms Lisa Barker
Lisa is a lawyer with extensive trade, international law and policy experience across the Asia Pacific, and has provided ABAC Australia secretariat services for over 9 years in total.
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Contact Lisa for:
All ABAC related issues and work
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Associate Director, APEC Study Centre
Ms Kristen Bondietti
Kristen is an expert in international trade policy, regulation and agreements. She has over 20 years of experience advising government, business and international organisations across the Asia Pacific. Kristen leads the Centre's collaborative policy and research initiatives. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Australian Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee (AusPECC).
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Contact Kristen for:
International trade, economic policy analysis and research, capacity building projects
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Associate Director, APEC Study Centre
Ms Roslyn Zakaria
Roslyn is a senior program and operations leader with over 15 years of experience managing complex, multi-country, donor-funded programs across Asia and the Pacific. She leads the operational, program, and delivery functions of the Centre's portfolio, overseeing strategic projects, budget management, risk, governance, and compliance.
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Roslyn has a strong track record of building and maintaining trusted partnerships with governments, multilateral organisations, and academic institutions across the region. Her multilingual capability and deep cross-cultural understanding enable her to navigate complex environments and lead high-performing teams with confidence and collaboration.
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Contact Roslyn for:
Project compliance and management, bids & tenders, contract, finance and administration management
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03 9925 1075
Program Manager
Ms Ivana Jurko
Ivana is a program management and policy professional with extensive experience delivering strategic initiatives across the Asia-Pacific. Her background spans design and delivery, monitoring and evaluation, policy advocacy and capacity building. Ivana manages a portfolio of the Centre’s capacity-building projects, in close collaboration with the Centre's international and regional partners.
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Contact Ivana for:
Program design and delivery, capacity building.
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Acting Senior Projects Coordinator
Ms Elfirda Esti
Prior to joining the Centre, Esti worked in the International Education sector in the areas of academic and student services, as well as in the tourism and hospitality sector in Indonesia, Japan, and Australia.
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Esti continues to focus on project coordination at the Centre, with new initiatives currently in development. Her recent work includes coordinating some of the centre’s strategic initiatives such as the APEC-Australia Women in Research Fellowship, the APEC Women's Business Activator Program, and the IEIF ASEAN Research Collaboration Project.
She brings more than 10 years of professional experience in international education, alongside a background in tourism and hospitality across Indonesia, Japan, and Australia.
Esti has a Master of Business Administration from Kaplan Business School Melbourne, as well as Bachelor of Humanities (Japanese Studies) from the University of Indonesia. Esti joined the Centre in 2022.​ ​
Contact Esti for:
Projects​
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Acting Senior Policy and Research Advisor
Mr Timothy Lawler
Tim works as an advisor to support the Centre's research and policy outputs, as well as providing project support across the team. His projects include working as a staffer for Australia in the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), providing project support for the PNG Women's Research Fellowship, and managing the Australian Business in ASEAN Survey.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and a Master of International Studies from the University of Otago, as well as a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Auckland.
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Contact Tim for:
ABAC, Research Work​
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Project and Research Coordinator
Ms Hoa Tran
Hoa focuses on delivering capacity building workshops and related events for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as well as assisting research on logistics related projects. She joined the team in September 2020.
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Contact Hoa for:
Research and projects
03 9925 0118
Project Coordinator
Mr Kevin Nguyen
Kevin coordinates a variety of the Centre's project work, with a focus on digital assets.
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With more than eight years' experience at the Centre, Kevin has helped deliver a wide range of APEC initiatives, workshops, and high-level engagements.
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Contact Kevin for:
Finance, website and administration
03 9925 7250
Senior Project Officer
Ms Rachel Bennett
Rachel Bennett is a Senior Project Officer at the Centre, specialising in international program delivery, stakeholder engagement and regional capacity-building across the APEC region.
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Contact Rachel for:
Projects and centre communications
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03 9925 7691
Director of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at The University of Melbourne and Principal Research Fellow at the AASC.
Professor Christopher Ziguras (Advisor)
Chris is Director of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at The University of Melbourne. He is a leading authority on the globalisation of higher education, particularly the ways in which regulatory agencies, markets, education providers and other actors shape cross-border provision of higher education, and the mobility of students and graduates.
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Contact Christopher for:
Research and trade in education services
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Learning and Education Specialist
Dr Errol Muir
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Contact Errol for:
Online learning tools
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