Dr. David Brewster is a senior research fellow at the National Security College, Australian National University, where his research primarily focuses on strategic affairs in South Asia and the Indian Ocean. In 2019, Dr. Brewster released a major report, Australia’s Second Sea: Facing our Multipolar Future in the Indian Ocean, which proposes a new roadmap for Australia’s strategic engagement in the Indian Ocean.
Mr. Mohammad Chowdhury is a Partner at PwC Australia and a member of the firm's global Telecom, Media and Technology leadership team and has previously held senior roles at Vodafone Group and IBM. He has lived and worked in Bangladesh, including advising on telecom sector reforms as well as the Prime Minister's Office in digitisation. He is passionate about inclusion and his book, Border Crossings: My Journey as a Western Muslim, was published in 2021.
H.E. Mr. Mohammah Sufiur Rahman is the High Commissioner for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. As a career diplomat with over 30 years’ experience, H.E. Mr. Mohammah Sufiur Rahman has held numerous positions including High Commissioner to Myanmar from 2014-2017 and High commissioner to Sri Lanka from 2012-2014. He has served as Deputy High Commissioner at Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad from 2008-2009, as Director at the SAARC Secretariat from 2004-2007 and Counsellor at the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva from 1999-2002.
Dr. Lailufar Yasmin is a Professor at the Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has been a recipient of the US Fulbright, the British Chevening, and the Australian International Post-Graduate Research Scholarship (IPRS). Her areas of research include Bangladesh’s politics, economy and foreign policy, South Asian Affairs, China’s Rise, maritime security and the Indo-Pacific Region, and women’s participation in UN Peacekeeping.
Dr. Mike Moignard is a Council Member of AIIA Victoria. He is an Adjunct Research Fellow at La Trobe University, and an Academic Fellow with the Australia India Institute.