Emerging Leaders Past Participants

Deputy Director of Public Health, Morobe Provincial Health Authority, leading provincial health intervention.

Principal Trade & Investment Queensland Officer supporting QLD-Pacific trade, investment & education.

Combat Engineer Platoon Commander, PNG Defence Force, committed to regional stability & Australia-PNG defence cooperation.

Legal adviser, Pacific Maritime Boundaries Project, working across international law & law of the sea & Pacific maritime rights.

Chief Strategy Officer, Commonwealth Bank, with a background spanning consulting, banking, & international development.

Managing Director, Lae Biscuit Company & CEO, Chow Foundation, supporting community education, health, & sport in PNG.

Urbanist & development professional working across infrastructure, arts advocacy & creative writing in PNG.

Engineering Geologist, GHD & Lecturer, UPNG, advancing natural disaster risk reduction & geoscience education in PNG.

Executive Manager, Policy & Strategic Planning, PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, leading structural reform for tourism.

Senior Analyst, Development Intelligence Lab & Expert Associate, ANU National Security College, researching climate change & Australian foreign policy.

Investment & Communications Manager, Pacific Trade Invest Australia, supporting investment & inclusive economic growth across the Pacific.

Project Manager of the Media Development Initiative PNG, supporting capacity-building in media.

Medical doctor, committed to global health, social justice, and public health for vulnerable populations.

International development practitioner, working across health systems in PNG & the Pacific.

Acting Director for Trade & Investment, PNG APEC Secretariat, coordinating capacity-building on digital trade & investment.

Senior Portfolio Manager, BSP Capital, focusing on PNG superannuation fund management & compliance.

Port Moresby-based consultant & former UPNG lecturer specialising in public finance, resource economics, & development policy in PNG.

Deputy Editor, ABC International, leading digital & social content for Pacific Island audiences.

OAM recipient & founder of Tara.Ed, delivering teacher professional learning & curriculum development across Asia & the Pacific

Public health & international development professional working across health system strengthening in the Pacific & Timor-Leste.

Civic Engagement Lead, Transparency International PNG, leading youth programs in civic empowerment & anti-corruption.

Senior Consultant, Alinea International, advising on Aus-PNG development investments & aid programming.

Research Officer, ANU National Security College, advancing Pacific literacy & Aus-PNG relations across the national security workforce.

Australian public servant & defence reservist with a background in international relations, national security & psychology.

Co-founder, Future Ancestors Program, delivering Pacific youth leadership programs through the Pacific Islands Committee of Queensland.

Broadcast journalist & Producer, ABC Port Moresby, covering PNG politics, security & regional affairs.

Policy Officer, PNG Department of Defence, managing bilateral relations & coordinating defence policy between PNG & the US government.

Senior Export Manager, Pacific Islands International & Executive Committee member, Australian Pacific Islands Business Council.

Filmmaker using film for human rights & social justice advocacy, including work on sorcery accusation-related violence.

Policy Officer, Department of Defence & Chair, Pacific-Australia Youth Association, with development experience across the Pacific.

Foreign Service Officer, PNG Department of Foreign Affairs & International Trade, working across bilateral border & maritime security.

Founder, KumulCare, advocating for disability inclusion & empowerment in rural PNG communities.

Juris Doctor candidate, University of Canberra & ACT Young Woman of the Year 2024, researching legal frameworks for Pacific migrants & refugees.

Policy Planning & Monitoring Officer, PNG Department of Prime Minister & NEC, & community youth mentor.

Founder & Head Educator of a not-for-profit delivering free education programs in Buitbam, Morobe Province.

Principal Legal Officer, Office of the State Solicitor, PNG, advising on fisheries, climate & security.

Adviser, Office of the Prime Minister PNG, supporting restoration, transparency & community participation in mining.

Business Development Manager & former elite rugby union player, committed to using sport to inspire youth leadership in PNG.

Program Coordinator, ABC International Development PNG, with a background in Pacific trade, security & traditional governance.

Anthropologist & Senior Consultant, ERIAS Group, specialising in environmental & social impact assessments.

Project Manager, Ninti One, advancing First Nations participation in Australia's international development program.

Indigenous Programs Manager, Australian Volunteers & Managing Director, Connecting Cultures Intl., advancing First Nations voices in development.

Development Consultant, Alinea International & President, AFNAD, leading on climate adaptation & social inclusion.

Founder, Grass Skirt Project, & DFAT Pacific Women Lead Governance Board Member, addressing gender-based violence through sport.

Infrastructure Advisory Consultant, Ernst & Young, advancing sustainable infrastructure & Indigenous affairs.

Agricultural Scientist & PhD Candidate, University of Melbourne, researching food security & Indigenous plant science in PNG.

Communications & Procurement Coordinator, UGL & founder, Project Yumi, delivering educational & healthcare impact across PNG.

Indigenous Research Projects Advisor, CSIRO & published author, working across community engagement, sustainability & economic development.

Digital Content Manager, ABC International Services, leading content creation for PNG & Pacific Island audiences.

PNG Olympic swimmer & accredited counsellor, advancing athlete mental health & wellbeing. 

Trade, investment & education partnerships specialist, connecting Australian businesses with opportunities in PNG.

Visual artist specialising in hyper-realist portraiture of PNG Indigenous people.

Technical Services Superintendent, Newcrest Lihir, working across change management & community services in rural PNG.

Freelance journalist & producer contributing to The Guardian Australia, covering PNG & the Pacific.

Managing Director, PNG Creative & Cultural Promotions, promoting PNG cultural heritage through the Oceania Cultural Festival.

Academic, Divine Word University, applying Melanesian epistemology to public health leadership & women’s political participation.

Digital Manager, Catalpa International, delivering digital solutions across the Indo-Pacific with a focus on cultural safety.

Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, PNG Department of National Planning & Head, Open Government Partnership Secretariat PNG.

Nurse, Midwife, & co-founder, Bridging Beyond Boundaries, advocating for culturally safe Indigenous healthcare across Australia & PNG.

Migration Officer, PNG Immigration & Citizenship Authority, specialising in intelligence analysis & migration legislation.

HR Chair & governance board member, Eco Services Ltd, with a background in health information systems & environmental science.

Corporate Executive, Telemu & steering committee member, PNG Business Advocacy Network, advancing capacity building & women's leadership.

Social worker & founder, Pikinini Watch PNG, working across child protection, positive parenting & mental health.

First Secretary, PNG Embassy in China, with a working background in PNG-China & PNG-Indonesia bilateral relations.

Senior Coordinator, Moresby Arts Theatre & Founder, Art Activism PNG, advancing arts & cultural advocacy in PNG.

Political journalist, Post-Courier, covering PNG's national politics & development challenges. 

Research Fellow, PNG National Research Institute, publishing on human rights, governance & public policy in PNG.

Manager, ESG, BSP Financial Group, driving equitable growth & economic modernisation in PNG.

Technical consultant, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue & President, Central Bougainville Tourism Association.

Assistant Site Manager, GrainCorp & former PNG national women's rugby representative, committed to PNG agricultural development.

Gender equity adviser, Bees for Sustainable Livelihoods & PhD Candidate, Southern Cross University, researching female beekeepers in the Pacific.

Head of Catering, dnata & President, Project Yumi, distributing educational & medical equipment across PNG.

Emergency nurse specialist, Royal Darwin Hospital & co-chair, ACEM Global Emergency Care Community of Practice.

Founder & CEO, LiteHaus International & Chair, ABC Youth Advisory Committee, advancing digital learning across the Asia-Pacific.

Managing Partner, Dr Laura's Medical Education & Organisational Development Advisor, MidCoast Council, committed to socioeconomic mobility.

Research Officer, ANU Development Policy Centre, providing economic research & analysis on PNG.

Engineer, trainer & Executive Director, CTE Australia & CTE PNG, working across power infrastructure & renewables in PNG

Senior Research Fellow, Burnet Institute, advancing childhood immunisation & health systems strengthening across the Pacific.

Community Development Officer, Three for All Foundation, working across LGBTQIA+ capacity development & queer refugee support.

ARC DECRA Research Fellow, Monash University, researching archaeological history & cultural heritage across Australia & PNG.

Development Co-ordinator, AFL Cape York & Founder, Titans Sport Performance, working across sports development & youth education.

Senior Project Officer, Torres Strait Regional Authority, working across health promotion & cultural arts & heritage.

Special Counsel, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, specialising in extractive industry governance & transparency in PNG.

Agricultural scientist working across PNG & Australia, with experience in policy development & implementation.

Principal Technical Analyst, PNG Independent Consumer & Competition Commission, advancing electricity regulation & energy access in PNG.

Country Manager, National Rugby League PNG, working across sport for development & women's rugby leadership in PNG.

Senior Communications & Public Relations Coordinator, Abt Associates, advancing inclusive development & governance communication in PNG.

MERLA Coordinator, DT Global, supporting maternal & newborn health programs in PNG.

Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney, researching social & environmental change, post-colonialism & aid in PNG.

Founder, Evoluta & host, Good Will Hunters podcast, specialising in social development & international development.

Economist & policy analyst specialising in trade policy, fiscal decentralisation & political economy in PNG.

Rural Outreach Coordinator, East Sepik Provincial Health Authority, coordinating rural health & behaviour change communication in PNG.

Medical doctor & Australia-PNG Liaison Officer, Project Yumi, specialising in global health, tropical medicine & health access.

Chief of Staff, Land Force Command, PNG Defence Force, with over two decades of operational experience & regional defence leadership.

Founder, Liandra Swim & Executive Director, Impact North, advancing Indigenous fashion & entrepreneurship in Australia. 

Co-founder & Director, Finwest Wealth Management, specialising in wealth management & financial planning in Australia.

Assistant Secretary, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications & the Arts.

Co-founder & Director, Afore Computer Training Institute, advancing digital literacy & ICT skills in regional PNG.

Manager, Australian Aid & Parliament Program, Save the Children, working across communications, government relations & parliamentary engagement.

Australian Consul-General in Lae, advancing Australia-PNG trade, development & people-to-people links.

Pacific Program Co-ordinator, Anglican Board of Mission, advancing community development across PNG, Vanuatu & Solomon Islands.

Managing Director, Progression Design & Development, specialising in civil design, project management & infrastructure resilience.

CEO, James Home Services Australia, with a background in business & economic development.

Researcher & Project Manager, Bees for Sustainable Livelihoods, Southern Cross University, advancing beekeeping research across the Pacific.

Architect specialising in socially engaged, community-centred design across Australia & PNG.

Director of National Partnerships, Climate Catalyst, advancing climate action & sustainable development.

Community Impact Manager, Northern Rivers Community Foundation & Ballina Shire Councillor, advancing inclusive development.

Executive Teacher, UC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra, with a background in security & development.

Lecturer & PhD Candidate, Divine Word University, specialising in PNG foreign policy & China's role in the Pacific.

Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, Autonomous Bougainville Government, coordinating the Bougainville Integrated Strategic Development Plan.

Executive Assistant, PNG Rugby Football League & board member, Young Professionals Network, supporting youth engagement.

Secretariat Manager, Global Fund PNG, working across fund operations & development program delivery in PNG.

Provincial Coordination & Product Development Officer, PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, specialising in tourism & marketing.

Lead, Community Grievance Resolution, Newcrest Mining Lihir, specialising in community relations & stakeholder engagement

First Assistant Secretary, PNG Department of National Planning & Monitoring, working across development economics.

Associate Program Manager, Abt Associates & Executive Director, UniMums Inc., supporting aid delivery & women's development.

Project Manager, CARE International PNG, working across gender equality, agriculture & coffee value chains in PNG.

Director, Business Development, iPi Group of Companies PNG, driving trade, investment & international education in PNG.

Policy Officer, Department of the Environment and Energy.

Research Officer, Planning and Performance Measurement, Australian National University.

Associate, Sovereign & International Public Finance, S&P Global Ratings, specialising in Asia-Pacific government credit ratings.

Senior Legal Officer, Anti-Money Laundering Assistance Team, Attorney-General's Department.

Independent consultant & researcher with Transparency International Secretariat & UNESCO.

Coordinator, Institutions & Campaigns Programme, Transparency International PNG.

Senior Project Manager & Research Officer, PNG Institute of Medical Research. 

Partner, KLM Consulting.

Finance Manager, Origin Energy PNG.

Director for Policy, Papua New Guinea Science and Technology Council.

Senior Projects Officer, National Housing Estates Limited.

Physics Lecturer, School of Natural & Physical Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea.

Founder, Barata Streetstuf.

Communication Media Director, New Britain New Ireland Mission, Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Coordinates agricultural research for DFAT & ACIAR in PNG, with a focus on women's leadership in agribusiness.

Public Health Physician, PNG National Department of Health & ADF reservist, specialising in disease surveillance & outbreak response.

Health practitioner working on tuberculosis, maternal mortality & community health in urban settlement communities, PNG.

Public policy professional specialising in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander policy & regional economic development.

Project Manager, International Development Assistance, GHD.

Councillor, Murray Island, Torres Strait Island Regional Council.

Artist

Youth & Content Adviser, PNG National Broadcasting Corporation. 

Research Officer, Development Policy Centre, ANU.

Barrister, Seventh Floor Garfield Barwick Chambers & volunteer, Kokoda Track Foundation, delivering advocacy & human rights workshops.

Artist

Associate Curator, International Contemporary Art, QAGOMA.

Medical student, Monash University & Chair, Australian Medical Students' Association.

Non-Executive Director, Solartec Global Limited.

Executive Director, The Voice Inc.

Bougainville Arts, Culture & Tourism Authority, coordinating tourism & cultural development policy for Bougainville.

Projects Coordinator, CARE International PNG.

Manager, Private Sector, Innovation & Growth, PNG Governance Facility.

Artist

General Manager, FairPrice Furniture & President, Young Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce.

Editor, Stella Magazine.

Founder & CEO, Allegiance Health.

Project Officer, Economics Policy Program, PNG National Research Institute.

PNG Olympic Committee.

First Secretary, Office of the Vice President, Autonomous Bougainville Government.

Field Environmental Coordinator, Inter-Oil Corporation.

Managing Director, Niugini Land & Properties Limited.

Assistant Election Manager, Morobe Province, PNG Electoral Commission.

Rural Doctor, Chuave, Simbu Province.

Principal, Win-IT Consultancy.

Chief Investment Officer, Kumul Consolidated Holdings, specialising in investment management & corporate finance in PNG.

Entrepreneur, Founder, Binks Barbeque & participant, National Development Bank's Young Enterprise Scheme.

Emergency & Primary Care Doctor, WA Country Health Service & founder, Fair Game Australia.

Senior Operations Specialist, Alibaba Cloud & co-founder, Asia Options, focused on entrepreneurship, e-commerce, and education.

Senior Economist, World Bank, specialising in Asia-Pacific macroeconomics, government finances & international trade.

Teacher, Australian Advocacy Institute, mentoring female lawyers & advancing legal advocacy in PNG.

Journalist.

Strategy & Growth Leader, GE.

WhyDev.

Development Policy Centre, ANU.

Agricultural Ecologist.

Architect & Founder, Sago Network.

Director, Policy & Planning, PNG Tourism Promotion Authority.

NDB Investments Limited.

Director, Policy & Planning, PNG Tourism Promotion Authority.

UNDP Peacebuilding & Governance Project, Bougainville

Public Health & Development Specialist.

Managing Director, Watut River Development Limited, specialising in trade, mining & community development in PNG.

PhD Candidate, James Cook University, researching social risk & governance in PNG's resource sector.

Project Architect.

Safety & Risk Graduate Advisor, Oil Search.

International Olympic Committee Athlete Career Program Trainer.

Director, Save PNG.

Founder, National Indigenous Youth Leadership Academy & co-founder, Mind Garden Projects, advancing Indigenous youth leadership.

Founder, WhyDev & Consultant, Plan Asia.

Agricultural scientist & researcher.

Human Rights Lawyer, De Brennan Tomlinson Pearce.

Programs Manager, National Centre for Indigenous Excellence.

Founding Director, The Language Barrier.

Medical doctor.

Entrepreneur.

Australian Army Major working across strategic & defence studies.

Financial communications professional.

Team Leader, Communications, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, with a background in Pacific media & communications.

Chairman & Founder, PacWealth Capital, specialising in wealth management & investment advisory in PNG.

Business Executive.

Research Fellow, Development Policy Centre, ANU.

Consultant & coach specialising in leadership development & social impact for purpose-driven leaders.

Statewide Junior Clinical Lead, Department of Health WA.

Broadcast journalist.

Principal Environmental Consultant, BMT, specialising in environmental science, management & law across PNG & Australia.

Economist at Austrade, advancing Australia-PNG trade & investment relations.

Partnership Broker, The Smith Family.

Senior Legal Counsel, Uber & owner, Butterworth's, Capitol Hill, Washington DC.

Director, PNG Department of Provincial & Local Government Affairs.

Business Consultant & Writer.

Lawyer.

Senior Accountant & Auditor, KPMG & Co-founder, Seeds of Hope PNG.

Partner, Deloitte Consulting PNG, leading outsourced finance & financial management capacity building in PNG's public sector.

Social Impacts Manager, Esso Highlands.

Consultant & Learning Facilitator.