Meet The Team
Executive
Chief Executive Officer
Georgia Henderson
Georgia is a John Curtin Undergraduate Scholar at Curtin University, where she is studying a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations). She is a 2022 New Colombo Plan Scholar for Indonesia through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and has been named as the cohort’s ASEAN Fellow.
Georgia was first involved in AASYP as a Delegate at the Indo-Pacific Future Leaders’ Program in 2020, and previously held the role of CCO from mid-2021 until March 2023. Georgia has held a range of roles including as a Counter Terrorism Intern at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as an intern Adviser at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, as an Intern for the APAC Chief of Staff at Equinix, and as a Legal Intern at the Albany Community Legal Centre, and as the Recruitment Manager at the Perth-based not for profit Teach Learn Grow. She is passionate about empowering young people to make impact and have confidence in their abilities to effect change.
Chief Executive Officer
Alex Lew
Alex is a Martial Artist and Archaeologist from Singapore. He joins the AASYP team as CEO in 2023.
He is part of the Spring 2023 Cohort of the FXB Climate Advocates Program and the ASEAN – Australia One Health Fellowship Program with Murdoch University, Australia 2023.
A fan of constant learning and growth, he previously he undertook a Taiwan MOE Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (HES) AY 2022, Indonesia Arts and Culture Scholarship 2021 (virtual) and a Diploma in Buddhism, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka 2022.
Chief Operations Officer
Adelaide Pope
Adelaide is an undergraduate economist at the University of Melbourne, currently completing her New Colombo Plan (NCP) scholarship in South and South-East Asia.
She is passionate about securing a sustainable, ethical and inclusive economy for Australia and the region, and is acutely aware of the importance of youth towards achieving these ends.
Chief Operations Officer
Adelaide Pope
Adelaide is an undergraduate economist at the University of Melbourne, currently completing her New Colombo Plan (NCP) scholarship in South and South-East Asia.
She is passionate about securing a sustainable, ethical and inclusive economy for Australia and the region, and is acutely aware of the importance of youth towards achieving these ends.
Chief Community Officer
Minh Trang Nguyen
Trang has a Bachelor’s degree in International Economics from Foreign Trade University Vietnam.
Having worked in different sectors of the Startup ecosystem – ranging from a governmental initiative agency, an early-stage startup to a social business incubator – and gained diverse cross-cultural working experience, Trang is passionate about technology and the use of data to create value for the enterprise, organization, and community.
Trang is specifically interested in ASEAN – Australia cross-regional partnership, having the opportunity to attend the Young Leaders Forum 2021 – an initiative by Australia – Vietnam Leadership Dialogue, and to join AASYP in 2022 as a People and Culture Co-Director.
Chief Community Officer
April McElligott
April is a Senior Consultant at KPMG, specialising in Food and Agribusiness and ESG. With a Bachelor’s degree and First Class Honours from the University of Sydney in 2019, she has established herself as a skilled researcher and analytical thinker. April’s academic achievements and dedication to her field were recognised through the prestigious New Colombo Scholarship, which allowed her to lead multiple research projects and collaborate with various universities to enhance the economic landscape of agricultural operations in Lao PDR and Indonesia.
With her Malaysian heritage, April is deeply committed to the growth and development of the ASEAN region, as well as the bilateral relationship between ASEAN and Australia. She has garnered a reputation for her strategic community development work, holding positions within the Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA) and Ag Institute Australia (AIA). Moreover, her active involvement in the Community Building Team for Asian Female Leaders (AFL) at KPMG showcases her dedication to fostering inclusive environments.
As the Chief Community Officer for AASYP, April is excited to drive community initiatives and promote collaboration between ASEAN and Australian in various capacities. She is passionate about growing the community and creating opportunities for meaningful exchange and dialogue that contribute to progress and development.
Chief Financial Officer
Nancy Cai
Nancy recently graduated with a double degree in Commerce/Laws with a major in Finance from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
From 2019 to 2020, Nancy spent a semester at National Taiwan University, Taipei where she studied Traditional Chinese and Law as a New Colombo Plan Scholar. Nancy previously completed a semester at Bocconi University, Milan for her finance studies in 2017, and studied in Guangzhou, China for 6 months when she was a primary school student.
Nancy currently works at an Australian telecommunications company Telstra. She is passionate about deepening relationships and broadening perspectives through cross-cultural collaboration and is excited about the future of technologies. Nancy feels exuberant hearing from youths passionate about addressing ‘wicked’ problems and is constantly reading to digest new ideas.
Chief Partnerships Officer
Racheline Tantular
Racheline is a Fogarty Scholar studying Asian Studies and Music at the University of Western Australia. She is working as an Analyst at Lydekker, an Asia strategy consulting firm.
In her last three years as AASYP Perth Hub Manager, she conceptualised and directed the Indo-Pacific Future Leaders Programme and facilitated the Indo-Pacific Student Mobility Youth Dialogue.
Racheline enjoys giving back to the community and directed ‘Where Oceans Meet’, a concert featuring traditional music of the Indo-Pacific region and music written by composers of Asian descent, with proceeds donated to the Australian Red Cross Global COVID-19 Appeal in 2021. She was also the 2021 President of the Golden Zonta Club at St Catherine’s College and organised a Birthing Kit Assembly Day supporting women in disadvantaged communities.
Racheline plays clarinet in the Western Australia Wind Symphony and is excited to further her passion for languages as a New Colombo Plan Scholar.
Chief Marketing Officer
Icely Nicole Dy
Icely recently graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in AB (Bachelor of Arts) Interdisciplinary Studies, majoring in Management and Political Science. Hosted by the University of Connecticut, She was also an Academic Fellow under the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), specializing in Social Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.
She currently works for Impact Hub Manila as a Junior Programs Manager for Incubation, with most of her local and international programs geared toward supporting entrepreneurs in their endeavors. Besides the leadership skills she honed as a programs manager, Icely has extensive knowledge in Digital and Social Media Marketing, strengthening her ability to create impactful campaigns.
With her passion for innovation, change, and youth empowerment, she hopes to leverage her marketing skills in telling the stories of young entrepreneurs and youth leaders worldwide through social entrepreneurship. One day, she hopes to support the youth, especially youth-led social enterprises, tell their stories in the digital realm.
