The Australia-Vietnam Young Leadership Dialogue (AVYLD) have selected 20 young leaders representing Australia and Vietnam as delegates to its inaugural dialogue in Sydney, Australia during May 15-18th, 2017.
The not-for-profit cross-border initiative is supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australia-ASEAN Council (AAC). The AAC was established by Australia’s Foreign Minister in September 2015 to shape engagement with South-East Asia and strengthen partnerships through stronger business, science, arts and cultural links. Other partners include UTS:INSEARCH, KPMG, Muru-D, EY, Bluescope Vietnam, Horwood Partners and StudyNSW, NSW Government Department of Premier and Cabinet among others.
“The selected delegates for the inaugural dialogue are an exceptional group of visionary young leaders. We are deeply inspired by their stories and believe they will set a model foundation for the dialogue,” states Ms Thao Nguyen, Board Chair of AVYLD.
Mr. Craig Chittick, the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam who was part of the selection process and hosted the Vietnamese delegates at a private evening reception last night, adds that “Australia’s future relationship with Vietnam will be characterised by dynamism, innovation and deep personal linkages. The first group of participants are outstanding leaders in a range of fields and their contribution to building a strong partnership between Australia and Vietnam will be felt for years and decades to come.”
The inaugural four day dialogue aims to facilitate deeper cross-cultural understanding and collaboration through discussions and workshops with speakers and peers. It will focus on “innovation” as an overall theme in areas such as leadership, education, business and national development. Delegates will have the opportunity to meet with global leaders, senior government officials and successful entrepreneurs from both Australia and Vietnam.
“We are pleased to be a distinguished partner and supporter of the dialogue and look forward to hosting a day at the UTS Business School in Sydney. We will be encouraging the delegates to explore and discuss the future of education, and we look forward to hearing their perspectives, questions and ideas,” states Mr. Tim Laurence, Dean of Studies at UTS:INSEARCH.
AVYLD received more than 1400 expressions of interest and 375 qualified applications. 10 delegates representing Australia and 10 delegates representing Vietnam were chosen through a rigorous selection process. The diverse group of delegates spans across various industries including the arts, finance, technology, philanthropy, business, education and healthcare.
Mr. Trieu, an Australian delegate of the inaugural program and TV host of SBS Pop Asia is excited about “getting the opportunity to make new friends while helping the future of Vietnam and Australia.” “AVYLD is a platform that is really needed. Nurturing and maintaining relationships between both countries can create endless opportunities including making the leaders of tomorrow,” Mr Trieu adds.
Ms. Huong Dang, Vietnamese delegate and International Partnership and Engagement Manager at KOTO Social Enterprise says, “I am looking forward to seeing other delegates [and be] engaged with their projects to not only learn but also exchange my knowledge [and] form a community where we can support each other, or even working as a group for some community projects.”
Ms. Rachel Bui, CEO of Australia-Vietnam Young Leadership is looking forward to “meet the delegates in May and help them start initiatives that will contribute significantly to Australia and Vietnam. The future is definitely in their hands.”