Australia-Taiwan Young Business Leaders Program

The Australia-Taiwan Business Council Limited (ATBC) is conducting the Australia-Taiwan Young Business Leaders Program (Program), as a steppingstone in deepening the B2B relationship between Australia and Taiwan by identifying and encouraging the next generation of business leaders.

The Program will run across 2025 to 2027 as the first of two cohorts.

ATBC is pleased to announce the successful candidates who have been selected to participate in the Australia-Taiwan Young Business Leaders Program (the Program). The Program generated great interest from many highly qualified candidates in many fields from both Taiwan and around Australia. The 12 successful candidates bring with them a wide range of skills and experience. It is hoped that through the events, workshops and conferences of the Australia-Taiwan Young Business Leaders Program, they will be able to learn from each other and from the prominent stakeholders in the Australia-Taiwan relationship who are contributing to the Program. It will be an amazing chance to brainstorm new ideas, establish relationship, and find new connections to further vitalize the business interactions between Australia and Taiwan.

An official announcement of the 12 successful candidates was inaugurated at the first event of the Program on 12th June 2025 in Taipei and Sydney hybrid format.
After more than two months of preparation and interviews with over 50 candidates, the Australia-Taiwan Business Council (ATBC) officially launched the 2025–2027 cohort of the Australia-Taiwan Young Business Leaders (YBL) Program on 12th June 2025. The launch was held simultaneously in Sydney and Taipei and streamed online to connect participants across both economies.

The YBL Program is designed to identify and connect the next generation of business leaders in Australia and Taiwan, fostering both cultural understanding and commercial capability. This cohort is the first of two to be delivered over a four-year period. Selected YBL participants will engage in leadership and mentoring workshops, gain access to industry events in both countries, and strengthen their business networks and in-market knowledge. In addition, Track II dialogues will provide an avenue for open exchange between public and private sector stakeholders in priority business areas for Australia and Taiwan.

The launch formally introduced and welcomed the inaugural 2025–27 YBL cohort—a group of emerging leaders committed to shaping the future of bilateral business engagement. The initiative is proudly supported by the Australian Office Taipei (AO), the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA), Griffith Business School, the Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (ANZCham), Sparke Helmore Lawyers and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia (TECO in Australia).

The event featured strong participation from senior government officials, diplomats, and business leaders from both Australia and Taiwan, underscoring the importance of this initiative to the bilateral relationship.

In Sydney, invited guests include:
 Mr Douglas Yu-tien Hsu, Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia (TECO Australia)
 Ms Kim Pang, Deputy CEO, National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (DFAT)
 Mr David Cheng-Wei Wu, Director General, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney (TECO Sydney)

In Taipei, attendees include:
 Mr Robert Fergusson, Representative, Australian Office in Taipei (AO)
 Mr Frank Wu, Secretary-General, Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA)

Senior representatives from prominent companies such as ANZ Group, Macquarie Group, Bank of Taiwan and TECO Australia Pty Ltd etc. also participated, underscoring the business community’s strong support for the initiative.

The 2025–27 YBL cohort comprise a diverse group of professionals from a range of sectors, selected for their potential to contribute to Australia-Taiwan collaboration – 7 from Australia and 5 from Taiwan.

Australia YBL
1. Ms Abigail Coffey – Asia Media Consultant & Masters student at the University of Oxford [Oxford, UK]
2. Mr Tim Joyce – Founder of Leverage Partnerships [Gold Coast QLD, Australia]
3. Mr Chris Cheng – Chartered Professional Engineer, entrepreneur, and technology leader and Co-Founder and CTO of Ready Team
One [Perth WA, Australia]
4. Ms Abbey Britt-Keen – Commercial Manager in an agricultural company [St George QLD, Australia]
5. Dr Ricardo Garcia-Rosas – Co-founder and CEO of Virtetic [Melbourne VIC, Australia]
6. Mr Jayden Moore – PhD candidate MEMS at UNSW /Founders of two startups focused on commercialising research in
semiconductors and MEMS [Sydney NSW, Australia]
7. Mr Martin Wirkus – Assistant Development Manager at Juxgold Group [Brisbane QLD, Australia]

Taiwan YBL
1. Ms Elaine Chen – Co-Founder &; President of Billion Watts Technologies Co. Ltd [Taipei, Taiwan]
2. Mr Danny Ho – COO of Seven Pyramid Enterprise; General Manager of Seven Praise Optical Industry and MD of Free Time Digital
Wine [Taipei, Taiwan]
3. Ms Jessica Ho – Product Designer and Project Manager [Taipei, Taiwan]
4. Ms Jasmine Tsai – Leads the Investment Department at Ina Energy [Taipei, Taiwan]
5. Ms Karen Kao – Founder of IMPOSSIBLE [Taipei, Taiwan]

Australia–Taiwan Young Business Leaders (YBL) Program Taiwan Program | 19–26 August 2025

Theme: Australia and Taiwan – Islands of Democracy, Stability and Prosperity

The Australia–Taiwan Young Business Leaders (YBL) 2025–27 Cohort undertook a comprehensive leadership and engagement program in Taipei from 19 to 26 August 2025. The program combined high-level policy dialogue, participation in the 38th Joint Business Conference (JBC), industry visits, cultural immersion and business engagement activities.

Participants were based at the Shangri-La Far Eastern Taipei throughout the program.

Day One – Track II Dialogue & Welcome Dinner

Wednesday, 20 August 2025

Track II Dialogue – Australian Office Taipei

The program formally commenced with a Track II Dialogue hosted at the Australian Office Taipei.

Opening remarks were delivered by:

Mr Robert Fergusson, Representative, Australian Office Taipei

Mr John Toigo, Chair, Australia–Taiwan Business Council (ATBC)

Mr Chien-Chih Hwang, Chair, ROC-Australia Business Council (ROCABC/CIECA)

The session was facilitated by Professor Caitlin Byrne FAIIA, Pro Vice Chancellor (Business), Griffith Business School.

The twelve YBL participants presented across three thematic areas:

Digital Economy

Sustainable Business

Youth Engagement

Each group delivered formal presentations outlining opportunities for enhanced Australia–Taiwan collaboration, followed by reflections and concluding observations from cohort representatives.

Welcome Dinner

The day concluded with a Welcome Dinner at The Howard Plaza Hotel Taipei, bringing together senior representatives from both economies and providing the first formal networking opportunity for the cohort.

Day Two – 38th Joint Business Conference

Thursday, 21 August 2025

YBL participants attended and actively contributed to the 38th Joint Conference of ATBC and ROCABC at the Shangri-La Far Eastern Taipei.

The cohort featured in the dedicated panel session:

“Introducing the Australia–Taiwan Young Business Leaders”

This session highlighted the next generation of cross-border leaders and reinforced the program’s strategic importance within the broader bilateral business relationship.

The day concluded with the official Conference Farewell Dinner.

Day Three – Industry & Site Visits

Friday, 22 August 2025

Participants joined the official Joint Conference industry visit program, engaging directly with Taiwan’s innovation and manufacturing sectors.

(Details aligned with the 38th JBC Industry Visit program.)

Day Four – Cultural Engagement

Saturday, 23 August 2025

The cohort explored Dadaocheng Wharf Container Market, one of Taipei’s most vibrant cultural and sunset destinations, located along the Tamsui River.

This session provided informal networking and deeper cultural immersion within Taipei’s historic Datong District.

Day Five – Indigenous Cultural Experience (Yilan)

Sunday, 24 August 2025

The group travelled to Yilan County for a full-day visit to Kbanun (樂水部落), experiencing Taiwanese Indigenous culture and cuisine.

This immersive visit strengthened cultural understanding and highlighted the importance of community identity, heritage and sustainability within Taiwan.

Day Six – Innovation & Corporate Engagement

Monday, 25 August 2025

Nangang Software Incubator (NSI)

Hosted by the Small and Medium Enterprises and Startup Administration (SMESA), Ministry of Economic Affairs, the cohort visited Nangang Software Incubator.

Welcoming remarks were delivered by:

Dr GJ Lee, Director General, SMESA, Ministry of Economic Affairs

Mr Gary Gong, Chairman, Innovation to Industry (i2i)

Participants received:

An overview of the Nangang Software Incubator

Startup presentations from resident companies

A guided tour of the innovation facilities

Corporate & Technology Visits

The program continued with visits to:

TECO Group (hosted by Vice Chair Ms Sophia Chiu and President Mr Kao Fei Yuan)

CreatorDB (hosted by Mr Noah Hynam, Co-Founder and President)

The evening concluded with a joint dinner bringing together both current and alumni business leaders.

Day Seven – Government & Business Briefings

Tuesday, 26 August 2025

The final day included strategic briefings hosted by:

Mr David Leong, CEO, ANZ Taiwan

Australia–Taiwan Young Business Leaders Program (YBL)
Lunar New Year & Leadership Networking Event – 19 January 2026

Following the successful Track II Dialogue (T2D) and Taiwan Program in August 2025, the Australia–Taiwan Young Business Leaders Program (YBL) 2025–27 Cohort proudly delivered its Lunar New Year & Leadership Networking Event, held simultaneously in Brisbane and Taipei on Monday, 19 January 2026.

This milestone event was made possible through the generous support of the National Foundation for Australia–China Relations (NFACR), the Australian Office Taipei (AO), Griffith Business School of Griffith University (GBS), the Australia & New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (ANZCham Taiwan), Sparke Helmore Lawyers (SH), the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Australia (TECO in Australia), and our valued Taiwan partner ROCABC/CIECA. Since the YBL’s launch in early 2025, these organisations have played a pivotal role in the program’s continued growth and impact.

With a strong commitment to nurturing emerging leaders in both Australia and Taiwan, the YBL program continues to promote mutual understanding and deepen engagement between the two regions. The 2025–27 cohort comprises twelve outstanding young business leaders who form a dynamic and collaborative network across both economies. Through structured dialogue, leadership engagement and cross-border cooperation, participants strengthen cross-cultural understanding while addressing emerging opportunities and challenges within their respective industries.

Event Overview

The evening commenced with registration and arrival of guests, with drinks served upon entry.

The formal program opened with welcome remarks from Mr John Toigo, Chairman of the Australia–Taiwan Business Council (ATBC), followed by remarks from Mr William Fan, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Brisbane (TECO Brisbane), and Mr Christopher Lim, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner and Deputy Representative of the Australian Office Taipei (AO).

The first keynote address was delivered by Professor Ashely Goldsworthy AO OBE KSS KM, followed by a presentation from Mr Ryan Chua, Senior Managing Director, Investment Team at Stonepeak Partners.

A moderated Q&A session was then led by Professor Caitlin Byrne, Pro Vice Chancellor (Business), Griffith University. The discussion provided attendees with the opportunity to engage directly with the speakers in an interactive and insightful exchange, encouraging thoughtful questions and collaborative dialogue across the Brisbane and Taipei audiences.

The formal proceedings concluded with a group photo, followed by continued networking over drinks and canapés.

The event concluded at 7:30pm (Brisbane time), marking another successful chapter in strengthening Australia–Taiwan leadership engagement.

The session will be an online escape room for the Leaders’ networking only – Not to the public.