Australia-China Council Board Members

Chair

The Hon Warwick Smith AM

Appointed Chair 9 September 2011 for a period of five years.

Mr Smith brings extensive experience in business, and a wealth of knowledge and linkages with China to the role. The new Chair, appointed for a term of five years will further the vital work of the Council in enhancing "people-to-people" relations between Australia and China.

Mr Smith is currently the Chairman for Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (NSW and ACT), and Chairman, Advisory Board of Australian Capital Equity, which holds diverse interests in broadcasting, mining, construction machinery and investments across Australia and Asia.

Prior to his current roles, Mr Smith was an Executive Director at Macquarie Bank (1998–2006), Deputy Chair of Asia Society (2003–2009), Chairman of the Australia-China Business Council (2003–2006) and a member of the Federal Parliament from December 1984 to March 1993 and 1996 to October 1998 when he was Minister for Sport, Territories and Local Government and Member assisting the Prime Minister for the Sydney Olympics (1996–1998) and Minister for Family Services (1996–1998).

Mr Smith was Australia's first Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (1993–1996). In 2008, Mr Smith was awarded as a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the Parliament of Australia, to the telecommunications industry as a contributor of reform and debate within the sector, to the promotion of international trade and tourism, and to philanthropy through a range of charitable and community organisations.

Deputy Chair

Mr Kevin Hobgood-Brown

Appointed 15 October 2007 for three years, reappointed 1 November 2010 for three years.

Kevin is the Managing Director of Riverstone Advisory, a Sydney-based corporate advisory firm. He was previously Group Executive and General Counsel of Sino Mining Gold Ltd and a partner at an international law firm for 18 years, in which capacity he had postings in Beijing, Taipei, San Francisco and Sydney. He is the Immediate-Past Chairman of the Australia China Business Council and has served on the Board of Directors of the ACBC since 1999. He is a member of the Global Council of the Asia Society and of the Advisory Board of the China Studies Centre of the University of Sydney. He taught on the law faculty of Beijing University from 1983-1987. Kevin has over 25 years of management and legal experience in the Asia Pacific region and has been based in Sydney since 1996.

Kevin has Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the United States and a Diploma in Chinese Law. He is a member of the California and Texas Bar Associations and the Law Society of New South Wales.

Members

Professor Susan Street

Appointed 15 October 2007 for three years, reappointed 1 November 2010 for three years.

Professor Susan Street has a long history of association with China and dance in many guises: as educator, administrator, advisor, guest speaker, judge, writer/editor, choreographer and professional dancer. She is currently Executive Director, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Precincts. Prior to this Professor Street was Executive Dean of Creative Industries Faculty of the Queensland University of Technology, National President of the Australian Dance Council (Ausdance), member of the International Advisory Board for the journal Research in Dance Education, and Co Chair of the Arts Touring Committee for Arts Queensland. Professor Street is a former professional dancer and Arts Advisor to the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Board member of the Hong Kong Ballet, Council member of the Australia Council for the Arts.

Mr Peter Cleary

Appointed 31 August 2009 for three years.

Peter John Cleary is Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development, for Santos, a major Australian oil and gas exploration and production company based in Adelaide. Mr Cleary has extensive global experience in the petroleum industry, joining Santos after a 24 year career with BP. He was most recently President of North West Shelf Australia LNG, the LNG marketing company for the North West Shelf Venture. Mr Cleary has held senior management positions in Australia, Korea, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and the United Kingdom. Mr Cleary has a deep understanding of Asia developed through years of experience working in the region and evident in an extensive and high profile network of contacts in Japan, China and Korea, as well as in Europe and the Middle East. Mr Cleary graduated from Melbourne University in 1981 with a combined Bachelor of Commerce/Law.

Mr Chris Clark

Appointed 10 September 2009 for three years.

Chris Clark is Group Country Manager, North-Asia for Visa Hong Kong Limited. Previously he was Visa's General Manager for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific from May 2008 following several years working for Visa in Asia. Mr Clark has been General Manager for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau and the Philippines for three years. Prior to this he was responsible for Visa's business in the Taiwan market, a role he held from 2002. Before joining Visa, Mr Clark served for 14 years in a variety of senior management positions at National Australia Bank, including market management roles in Taiwan and Thailand from 1995-2000. He also worked in consumer and commercial banking, including assignments in Hong Kong and Tokyo. Mr Clark is a fluent speaker of Mandarin, has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Melbourne and is a graduate as well as former Foreign Expert of the Xi'an Foreign Languages Institute.

Ms Suhanya Raffel

Appointed 1 November 2010 for three years.

Suhanya Raffel is Deputy Director, Curatorial and Collection Development at the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane and is a member of the executive responsible for the creative and curatorial development of major exhibitions including the 'Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT). Most recently she was lead curator for the Queensland Art Gallery's exhibitions 'Andy Warhol' in 2007-08, 'The China Project' in 2009, and the 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in 2009-10. Suhanya has been a peer for the Australia Council for the Arts, a member of the Visual Arts Committee for Asialink, The University of Melbourne and is currently a Board Member of Griffith University's Asia Institute. Suhanya has worked with contemporary art projects in the UK, Australia and South Asia, and writes and lectures regularly in Australia and internationally.

Professor Fiona Wood FRACS AM

Appointed 1 February 2011 for three years.

Clinical Professor Fiona Wood is Director, Burns Service Western Australia, Winthrop Professor, BIRU, School of Surgery UWA and Chair of The McComb Research Foundation.

Professor Fiona Wood is renowned for her invention of spray on skin cells for burns patients. Professor Wood's dedication to the Australian people and her love of working and living in Australia is reflected in her many medical achievements.

Now, Professor Wood's work, in her capacity as Director of the Western Australian Burn Service has set her in the direction of the development of innovative skin technology treatments for the use in burn injury, reconstruction and other trauma. Her research through the McComb Foundation and as Director of Avita Medical is focused on scarless healing. She is involved in several collaborative research projects focusing on tissue-guided regeneration. Fiona has been involved in a number of education and disaster response programs associated with her interest in burns and published a variety of papers over the years.

In 2002, the world media profiled Profesoor Wood and her team's tireless work on burns victims of the Bali bombings, especially bringing positive recognition of the holistic multidisciplinary burn care. Professor Wood was the recipient of an Order of Australia Medal for her work with Bali bombing victims. In 2003 she was the recipient of the Australian Medical Association 'Contribution to Medicine' Award and was named a National Living Treasure in 2004. In 2005, Professor Wood (along with Marie Stoner) won the 2005 Clunies Ross Award for their contributions to Medical Science in Australia . She was also named Australian of the Year 2005.

Ex-officio member

Dr Heather Smith, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Former ACC Chairs

The Australia-China Council Chair's commitment, guidance and leadership has been invaluable in developing, furthering and maintaining the successful bilateral relationship that Australia and China hold today.

• Emeritus Professor Mark Wainwright AM FTSE: 2006–2011
• Dr John Yu AC: 2000–2006
• Mr Stuart Simson: 1997–2000
• Acting Chair: 1996–1997
• Professor Stuart Harris AO: 1991–1996
• Hon. E G Whitlam AC QC: 1986–1991
• Professor Wang Gungwu: 1983–1986
• Professor Geoffrey Blainey AO: 1978–1983