2023-judging-panel

Susan Gin

Patron of the Asian-Australian Leadership Awards, Founder & Chair, EWC Australian Community Engagement Inc (EWC)

Susan is the Founder and Chair of the EWC a platform to build community among business migrants, to facilitate engagement with the Government and to support integration into the wider Australian Community.

She is a member of the Australian Asian Business Women's Association Advisory Board and has been appointed to the Board of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration by the Federal Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism.

With degrees in Law, Susan practiced in corporate law at Australia's largest listed mining and petroleum companies in her career.

Tam Nguyen

Deputy Director Research, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

Associate Professor Tam Nguyen has nearly 25 years of experience in clinical trials, health and medical research, and research management. He has worked in tertiary teaching hospitals, medical research institutes, and universities across Australia. Currently, Tam is the Deputy Director of Research at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, overseeing research strategy, development, and innovation. He also serves as a non-executive director and advisor to several medtech and health tech startups and scale-ups.

Tam is a co-editor of the book AI in Medicine (Springer). His current roles include serving on the Investment Committee of Horizon 3 Healthcare and as a Resident Director at Acclime Australia. He holds academic appointments with Melbourne Medical School, Monash Medical School, and RMIT University.

Tam is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health, the Royal Society of Medicine, the Australian Institute of Managers and Leaders, and the Australian Research Management Society. He is a regular invited speaker on clinical trials, innovation, industry collaboration, digital health, and AI in health. He also chairs, moderates, and serves on program committees for numerous national and international conferences.

Joon-Yee Kwok

Artistic and Executive Director, OzAsia Festival

Joon is the Artistic and Executive Producer of OzAsia Festival, Australia’s leading arts and culture festival engaging with Asia. She is a creative producer and arts manager with 20 years experience working in the Arts and Creative Industries, with a focus on presenting, celebrating and supporting Asian Australian artists, culture and communities. Her portfolio career includes working in not-for-profit, corporate, government, education, community and independent arts sectors and across a range of art forms.

She has expertise in festivals/events, creative placemaking, community-engaged practice, cultural diversity initiatives and artist and sector development. Joon initiated BrisAsia Festival, Brisbane City Council, producing immersive, interactive and community-engaged events as part of the festival. She has also consulted on cultural diversity initiatives and artist development programs such as the Theatre Diversity Initiative (Creative Australia, formerly Australia Council for the Arts), Multicultural Artists Development Initiative (City of Gold Coast), and Fair Play (Diversity Arts Australia). She is also the founder and convener of the Australian Bureau of Asian Creatives, a network supporting and celebrating the work of Asian Australian artists.

Jason Johnson

Founder and CEO, Johnson Partners

Jason is the Founder and CEO of Johnson Partners, the leading board advisory and executive search firm across Australia & New Zealand.

Over his 20 years as a Partner in the search profession, Jason and his team have appointed more than 2,000 of the region’s top Chairs, non-executive directors, CEOs and senior executives, including supporting the CEO succession of several of Australia’s largest companies and professional services firms.

Jason has been a partnerin two of the world’s six largest executive search firms and is the former Global Chairman of the Association of Executive Search Consultants. Prior to entering executive search, Jason was a corporate lawyer with Allen Allen & Hemsley.

Martine Letts

Group CEO, Asialink

Martine is the Group CEO of Asialink, Australia’s leading centre for engagement with Asia across Arts, Business, Diplomacy and Education.

Previously, Martine has held executive roles as the CEO of the Committee for Melbourne; CEO of the Australia China Business Council; Deputy Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, and was Secretary-General of the Australian Red Cross from 2001-2004. She was a senior Australian diplomat for 17 years and an adviser to then Foreign Minister Evans from 1992 to 1994.

Martine served on the Australian National University Council for 10 years, is a member of the Australian Volunteers International (AVI) board, and chairs AVI’s Governance Committee.

Eric Knight

Executive Dean, Macquarie Business School

Eric Knight is Executive Dean of Macquarie Business School, one of the four faculties of Macquarie University. In this role, he provides strategic and operational leadership of the business school and its academic and professional staff. This includes research activity and outputs, grant income and management as well as the activity of its research centres. The role also involves accountability and responsibility for student experience, curriculum integrity, teaching quality and accreditations. The Executive Dean is a member of the University’s Executive Group and contributes to the management of the wider University, and the achievement of its strategic intent.

Eric was previously Professor of Strategic Management and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research - Enterprise & Engagement) at the University of Sydney, and before that worked at Boston Consulting Group. He was a Fulbright Senior Scholar and Visiting Professor at Stanford University and completed his doctorate at the University of Oxford as an Australian Rhodes Scholar.  Eric currently serves on the boards of MQ Health, the Universities Admissions Centre, Sydney Grammar School, the Research Committee of the Committee for Sydney, and on the Business Council of Australia’s Skills, Education and Migration Committee.

Professor Knight's research is in the field of organisational theory and strategic management. He is a world leading scholar in this area, having published in some of the top journals in his field including the Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, and Academy of Management Review. He has been Global Chair of the Strategy Practice interest group of the Strategic Management Society and is Chair of the Strategising Activities and Practices (SAP) interest group of the Academy of Management.

Bhaskar Katta

General Manager, Group Operations, Westpac

Bhaskar Katta is a recognised expert in Banking with ~3 decades of experience in Operations & Technology, Consumer, Business, Strategy, Customer-centric design, and in driving Digitisation and intelligent Automation delivering meaningful transformation in financial services.

He is currently General Manager of Group Operations at Westpac, leading a team of over 5,000 people delivering Operations for all Divisions of Westpac including Consumer, Business, Wealth and Institutional. Formerly as General Manager at ANZ, Bhaskar leveraged his extensive background to drive digital transformation in Payments, Deposits, Wealth and Merchant Operations for over 6 million customers and managed wealth business partnerships. Before his tenure at ANZ, Bhaskar held the position of Regional Chief Operating Officer in Singapore overseeing more than 20 markets across Asia & Pacific and leading a Digital-only bank initiative. He has also has ~2 decades experience with Citi across Europe, Middle East and Africa, living and working in India, UAE, Russia, Czech Republic &UK in COO, CEO (Consumer Bank) & MD roles.

Bhaskar holds an MBA from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in India and a degree in Executive Education from MIT focusing on Digital Business Transformation. He is known for building and leading high-performing, diverse teams and is deeply committed to promoting inclusivity and diversity. Bhaskar has initiated and driven efforts to support Women in Leadership, mentored emerging leaders from culturally diverse backgrounds, and supported the cause of Indigenous Australians.

Shenaz Waples

Group Executive People and Culture, Colonial First State

Shenaz joined CFS in July 2021 and is accountable for all aspects of human resource management. Shenaz has extensive experience leading HR and transformation programs in the financial services industry.

Prior to CFS, Shenaz was the chief human resources officer at MLC Australia and held senior executive roles at Westpac.

Shenaz has an eMBA from UNSW and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Instead, Strategic IQ program at Harvard University and the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.

Mariam Veiszadeh

2023 Overall Winner and CEO, Media Diversity Australia

Mariam, the 2023 most influential Asian-Australian Leader of the Year, is an award-winning change maker and inclusive thought leader.

With 15 years of advocacy in anti-racism, intersectional gender equality, human rights, and cultural diversity, she has led transformative discourse and helped cultivate a more inclusive Australia. Her impactful work in the Islamophobia space and strong record in social policy have made a positive difference in many lives.

Formerly a lawyer, she now focuses on social policy advocacy and is praised as a leader in fighting hatred. As a passionate Diversity & Inclusion advocate, Mariam influences positive societal change through grassroots campaigns and social media, where she has over 50,000 followers. She is also an engaging keynote speaker, known for her personal insights and evidence-based frameworks, aiming to ensure Corporate Australia truly embraces inclusion and diversity.

2024 Judging Panel

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