Non-Executive Directors are elected annually to be appointed to the Board of Directors by AustCham Shanghai members. The Board of Directors set direction, strategy and oversee governance arrangements for the Chamber. Each Non-Executive Director is elected for a two-year term. All members of the Board of Directors are voluntary and part-time with the exception of the Executive Director.
Members of the Board of Directors come from a wide range of corporate backgrounds and bring with them diverse professional backgrounds and in-depth experience of successful, commercially profitable China businesses.
Each corporate member nominates a representative nominee with voting rights, exercisable at the Annual General Meeting. During this meeting, members elect directors to be appointed to the Board and vote on other chamber business. The Board of Directors also meet throughout the year to conduct general chamber business.
Director and Founder, Arete Group
TV host, presenter, celebrity, author, entrepreneur, and wellness advocate are just some of the terms used to describe Heidi Dugan. Having lived in China for over 25 years, she became the first foreign TV host to have her own TV show in China, You are the Chef, which reaches over 6 million viewers daily, is a live host of Oriental Shopping channel completing up to $2 million in sales in one and a half hours. She has received awards such as Best Foreign TV Host and Most Popular Foreign TV Host, International Leading Woman in Business of the Year, International Alumnus of the Year, and Australia China Alumni Award for the Arts and Creative Industries. She is also Council Member of The University of Southern Queensland.
Heidi is Director of Arete Group. Companies and brands working with Heidi have strategic advantage to successfully integrate into the community, build their corporate network and friendships, and ultimately conduct business faster and expand their success in one of the largest economics markets in the world.
Her influence across Australia and China has been recognized through her media coverage on Channel 9 news, Australian Financial Review, Harper’s Bazaar, China Daily to name a few. She partners with the Shanghai Government and Shanghai Women’s Association to help better educate and train woman in health, nutrition, and parenting.
Heidi is a member of the Board's Nominations Committee.
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Chief Representative Greater China, Port Adelaide Football Club
Tony is the Chief Representative of Port Adelaide Football Club (PAFC) for the Greater China region. He is also the managing partner of Q Light Consulting, which is based in Shanghai with subsidiary in Sydney.
Tony was appointed as the Trade and Investment Commissioner and set up the Australia New South Wales government office in Shanghai in 2009. In the next ten years, Tony led his team to attract billions of dollars of Chinese investment into Sydney and NSW from multiple industries. He was also a Trade Commissioner in the Australian Embassy in Beijing between 2007 and 2009 leading the financial service team and food and beverage team to help Australian companies in these sectors to export to China. Prior to Beijing, Tony was working at the Australian Trade Commission’s Sydney office as a Senior Export Advisor.
Over the years, Tony has built strong network with Australian and Chinese governments, with which he helped to overcome many problems for his clients in the trade and investment process.
Tony has a Bachelor of International Business from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Massachusetts, United States.
Tony is a member of the Board's Nominations Committee.
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CEO and Executive Director, AustCham Shanghai
Simon Woods is the CEO and Executive Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AustCham Shanghai). He leads the secretariate in all matters to provide value to members of the Chamber and broader Chinese-Australian communities.
Simon has lived and worked in Shanghai since 2016, and brings a wealth of operational, China and global management experience. Prior to his time in China, Simon resided in Australia, where he developed a diverse range of knowledge across industries including logistics, FMCG, security and finance.
Simon utilises his broad range of industry, global management, and China-Australia experience to ensure a strong strategic direction for AustCham Shanghai that maximises member value, encourages and strengthens relationships, and develops improved understanding of China and Australia. Simon Woods is the CEO and Executive Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AustCham Shanghai).
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Managing Director of Camel Hospitality Group
Based in Shanghai since 1999, Todd has a background in quality control and manufacturing, working on supplying Australian customers such as Bunnings, the AFL and K-Mart.
Since 2010 Todd has been growing the Camel Hospitality Group which owns and manages four bars, five restaurants and three F45 gyms.
Todd has a degree in International Trade, a diploma in export management and speaks fluent Mandarin. With his 20 plus years on the ground in China working across a range of different industries, he has a great understanding of Chinese business.
Todd is a member of the Board's Audit Risk Committee.
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Managing Partner of Fragomen (Shanghai) Co Ltd
• Becky Xia is the Managing Partner responsible for Fragomen’s practice in China. She specializes in managing talent movement into China and supporting global clients within the region and other locations.
• Becky has almost 18 years of experience in immigration. As the leading professional in the increasingly complex area of China immigration, she is experienced in assisting multinational corporations, financial institutions, and other global employers with employment-based immigration and investor visas.
• Becky advises clients on immigration-related compliance as well as strategies for the transfer of expatriate workforce into China and throughout the country.
• Becky also takes care of China-based global clients and assists overseas Fragomen offices to help Chinese nationals obtain overseas visas
• Becky is a regular speaker on immigration-related topics at seminars and conferences throughout China
Becky is a member of the Board's Audit Risk Committee.
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Lead China Partner, Azure Group
Stephanie is a highly qualified chartered accountant with extensive experience in the accounting and finance industries, both in Australia and in China.
Stephanie has worked with businesses in numerous industries including media, IT technology, manufacturing and retail, and professional services, assisting them with tax compliance, financial reporting, international tax, and assisting Australian companies to set up business in China.
Stephanie is a member of the Board's Audit and Risk Committee.
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Managing Director and Partner, Baldwin Boyle Group
Unice Liu is the Managing Director and Partner of Baldwin Boyle Group China, an AsiaPacific-focused reputation management and communications consultancy.
Passionate about helping build connections, understanding and trust between organisations and the people who matter most to them, Unice’s expertise include stakeholder engagement, crisis and issues management, thought leadership building, media relations and digital engagement. Unice has deep experience in leading strategic, multi-market communications programmes across food and agribusiness, travel and tourism, education, real estate and manufacturing sectors.
Based in Shanghai, Unice and her team are focused on helping foreign businesses navigate and leverage China’s media and digital landscape, to best achieve their business objectives.
Prior to joining Baldwin Boyle, Unice is part of a hospitality and tourism branding consulting firm with clients including the Singapore Tourism Board, the National HeritageBoard and the Suntec Convention Centre.
Unice is effectively bilingual and holds a Bachelor (Honours) in Social Sciences (Communications and New Media) from the National University of Singapore.
Unice is a member of the Board's HR Committee.
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Director and Founding Partner, ANKEN Group
Alexandra is an architect from Melbourne who has lived & worked in China for over 22 years. She has successfully grown her own business from a 2-person consulting company into an established real estate development, investment and management company with 140 employees and a total past & present property portfolio of 454 million RMB under management.
Through this role, Alexandra has needed to attract local & international investors and work with district and city-level Chinese government agencies.
As one of the earliest pioneers of urban regeneration in Shanghai with the transformation of Ferguson Lane, ANKEN Group has made a name for itself as a being committed to sustainability, sensible design and ethical practice.
She is dedicated to bringing this ethical and community-based business approach to the Board.
Alexandra is a member of the Board's HR Committee.
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Partner, August Leadership
James is a Partner at leading global executive search firm August Leadership, leading searches across the Asia Pacific region. He works in the industrial and technology sectors, and has a keen interest in innovative, technology-enabled industrial, health care, and consumer businesses.
Prior to joining August Leadership, James started his career in search as a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles, establishing their China business in 2000. He was then a Partner for Korn/Ferry International in Melbourne, before joining a local boutique firm in 2011. He returned to China in 2015 to establish the Asia practice of a tech-focused boutique. He has advised on the appointment of board directors, chief executives, managing directors, business unit leaders and senior functional roles across the Asia Pacific.
James began his career in television news and the motion picture industry, before holding accounting, consulting, sales, and general management positions in London and Shanghai, with Coopers & Lybrand, Booz-Allen & Hamilton, and major ERP software vendors, serving clients in the manufacturing, consumer and pharmaceutical industries.
James holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Chinese and Economics from the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). A native of the U.K. and a proud Australian, he has lived in Shanghai for more than 20 years, and speaks fluent Mandarin, as well as some Shanghainese and Cantonese.
James is a member of the Board's HR Committee.
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General Manager China, ShineWing Australia (SW)
As the General Manager China, Toby connects SW clients with real opportunities and resources throughout Asia, assisting foreign investors with market entry, navigating China’s complex legal and regulatory landscape, and facilitating trade and investment.
Before joining SW,Toby worked at AustCham Shanghai and understands first hand the vital role played by the Chamber in supporting members, promoting bilateral trade, and providing a platform for young people to enter the space. He has experience across membership, marketing, events, and business engagement, and has coordinated the Chamber’s summits, conferences, delegations, major events, and industry committees.
A passionate supporter of Australia-China relations, Toby has dedicated his career to helping Australian businesses succeed in China. He has lived, worked and studied in China for 9 years, is the recipient of both Victorian and Chinese government scholarships, and holds a Master of Laws (International Relations) from Nanjing University and a Bachelor of Arts (Chinese Language & Literature) from the University of Melbourne.
Toby is a member of the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee, and he volunteers as Chair for the Chamber’s finance, investment and tax industry committee.
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Vice General Manager, Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund
Barclay cultivated his hospitality career and management style over 20 years of working for International hospitality and luxury five-star hotel management properties and later real estate development companies across China and Asia, culminating in Senior Management roles. He has consistently delivered customer service excellence while simultaneously exceeding financial targets and building trust with key stakeholders, particularly with owning companies and renowned international brands. His adaptability and ability to lead his associates and executive teams, of diverse cultural backgrounds, toward a common purpose of shared vision, goals, and strategy have accounted for his success in achieving above-average quality of hotel operation and performance results. During his career, Barclay has worked with international brands including Hilton, Conrad, Waldorf Astoria, Pan Pacific, Radisson, Marriot and Banyan tree as well as development companies, Hanian Airlines hospitality and PengXin.
He holds post graduate diploma from Cornell University and is fluent in in English and German.
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