2018 Judging Panel

   Winner of 2013 Australia China Alumni Award for Banking and Finance

Derek Chan is the Equity Partner of Ernst & Young (EY) for Greater China. His role is to develop and drive M&A and Restructuring opportunities in the Transaction Advisory Services practice. His key clients consist of large SOE and commercial banks, focused on the financial services, and power and utilities sectors.

Before working in EY, he was appointed Partner and Executive Member of Plateau Private Equity Fund in 2013, one of the largest private equity funds in China. Here he was responsible for deal origination and project management, and amongst other things, successfully closed a 2bn equity investment of AVIC, a first tier central SOE.

Derek has more than 30 years’ corporate finance-related work experience across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia. In China, he was promoted to Equity Partner by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, and in Taiwan, Derek was Senior Director for both Arthur Andersen and PwC.

Currently Derek is Vice Chairman and Founder of the Hong Kong Professionals (Beijing) Association. He is also Deputy President of CPA Australia (Northern China Committee), a professional tutor at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, and a lecturer at the Beijing National Accounting Institute.

   Vice President, Australia China Business Council NSW Branch

Sara is a well-respected writer, thought leader, and one of the most sought-after China business experts in Australia. She actively promotes bilateral trade and investment between Australia and China, and co-authored the book ‘Engaging China – The Realities for Australian Businesses’.

Sara has over 20 years’ experience in China and Australia, specialising in China business strategy development, distribution channel management, and mergers and acquisitions. She held senior management roles in China within a large Chinese international trade company and an international organization before migrating to Australia 17 years ago.

As Head of the China Practice of the Australian Business Solutions Group, Sara manages the China team in both Australia and China to assist Australian businesses to trade or invest in China. She has personally assisted over 1000 Australian businesses (including some iconic brands), across a broad range of industry sectors successfully do business with China.  Currently, she manages the Export Growth China program (exportgrowth.com.au) on behalf of all chambersacross Australia to assist Australian businesses to enter and expand in the Chinese market.

Sara has also managed and run various federal and state government programs including Stepping Up, Instilling International Entrepreneurship in Emerging Enterprises, and Women Going Global.

   Trade Commissioner (Education), Australian Trade and Investment Commission

Rhett Miller is the Consul (Commercial) and Trade Commissioner (Education) (North Asia) at the Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai. In this capacity, Rhett is responsible for the overall leadership and direction in promoting Australian international education in Greater China, the Republic of Korea, and Mongolia.

Rhett has extensive experience in the international education sector having served as Head of Asian Markets at the University of Sydney, where he managed a large team responsible for marketing, recruitment, and business development across the Region. In this role, Rhett pioneered a range of new initiatives which substantially grew the international cohort at the University.  He has also held international marketing and business development roles at both the University of Melbourne, and Victoria University. 

Prior to his career in international education, Rhett was a solicitor working at the major Australian firm Allens, and was admitted to practise in the Supreme Court of Victoria. 

Rhett holds a Bachelor of Law, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Diploma of Modern Languages (Chinese) from the University of Melbourne.

Ms Maree Ringland took up her role as Counsellor, Public Affairs and Culture, at the Australian Embassy in Beijing in February 2016.

This is her second time living and working in China; she first came to Beijing in 1999 as a language trainee preparing to work on energy and resources issues in the Economic Section at the Australian Embassy (from 2000 to 2004).

In her 13 years in between stints in China, she worked on bilateral trade negotiations with China (from 2005 to 2008), served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Chile (from 2009 to 2012), edited the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Annual Report (2013), and returned to trade negotiations, this time with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) (from 2013 to 2015).

She has a Master’s in International Relations from Monash University, and a Combined Asian Studies/Law Degree (with Honours) from the Australian National University.  She speaks Mandarin, Japanese, and Spanish.

   Winner of 2017 Australian Ambassador’s Award for Women in Leadership

Bethwyn Todd is a highly experienced international business executive, having to date, performed leadership roles in five different countries across her 22-year career. Currently based in Singapore, she is Vice President and Business Director for FMC Agricultural Solutions in Asia Pacific and President of FMC Asia Pacific, positions she has held since December 2014. She was previously the Global Business Director of FMC Professional Solutions, Seed Treatment and BioSolutions, based in Philadelphia, USA. Ms. Todd joined FMC in 2010 as Asia Pacific Development and Regulatory Manager in Bangkok, Thailand.

Prior to FMC, from 2002 to 2009, Ms. Todd worked at Monsanto, where she held several leadership, commercial, and regulatory roles including Managing Director of the Monsanto Australia business. From 1996 to 2002 she worked in the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, holding agricultural policy, program, and management roles.

Ms. Todd earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland and an MBA from Deakin University.