Future Ready Forum: Unlocking Opportunities with Asia

Join us for Committee for Perth’s Future Ready Forum: Unlocking Opportunities with Asia, on Thursday, 29 May 2025.

Sharing a time zone (+/- 2.5 hours) with 60% of the world’s population, Perth is perfectly placed to play a strategic role in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to some of world’s fastest growing economies, including China, India, Indonesia and Japan. Our city is not only in the right place, it’s in the right time (zone).

Perth’s unique position on the west coast positions it as a city of immense opportunity – a strategic hub for tourism, international education, trade and investment, innovation and tech, freight, and economic diversification.

At this Future Ready Forum, our esteemed panel will delve into practical strategies for engaging with Asian businesses, identifying pathways to unlock economic opportunities in key regional markets, and exploring how Perth can better leverage its geographic and time zone advantages for greater connectivity.

Bringing a wealth of experience across international trade, education, diplomacy, and innovation, the panel will offer diverse and informed perspectives on strengthening Perth’s connections with Asia. Their insights will help create pathways to new opportunities for meaningful partnerships and long-term regional engagement, highlighting Perth’s strategic role in the Asia-Pacific.

Register now to secure your seat. We look forward to an engaging discussion on how Perth’s ties to Asia will continue to be vital and significant in shaping the future of the Perth region.

EVENT PHOTOS

Our panellists

Tony Chong

Partner, Squire Patton Boggs

Tony Chong is the Perth Managing Partner of global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, leading the Asia Desk and Corporate Group in Australia. As a corporate and tax law specialist, Tony advises on cross-border investments, mergers and acquisitions, and foreign investment issues, particularly between Australia and Asia.

With strong regional ties, Tony plays a strategic role in helping clients navigate complex commercial landscapes, especially in China, Singapore, Malaysia, and ASEAN. He serves as President of the WA Chinese Chamber of Commerce. He also sits on several commercial and non-profit boards, all with connections and significant dealings with Asia.

Tony is a recognised leader in Australia-Asia relations and is known for bringing a commercial lens to geopolitics, investment and people-to-people engagement. He has led many delegations from Perth to Asia and has constant dialogue with various Asian governments and businesses.

Tony mentors several leaders under the State Government’s Board Diversification program.

Janelle Marr

Board, Tourism WA

Janelle Marr is an experienced company director and a leading strategic advisor with over 25 years in strategy, governance and business transformation across Australia and global markets.

She is passionate about sustainable growth and fostering innovation that delivers long-term value and is deeply committed to the social and economic diversification of Western Australia, and the promotion of its unique and critical role nationally and globally.

With a background in international management consulting and employment law, Janelle has held senior executive roles in ASX-listed companies and global firms, including the advisory arms of both KPMG Melbourne and EY Perth, and investment banks Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs in the UK. 

She is the Founding Managing Director of boutique corporate advisory StepBeyond Strategy and has served a diverse portfolio of directorships including Edith Cowan University, Screenwest, WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Burswood Park and Ability WA.

She currently serves as Tourism WA Commissioner, Independent Director of Battery Stewardship Council and Foundation Housing, and is the Independent Chair Risk & Audit Committee of the WA Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, soon to become WA Department of Energy and Economic Diversification.

She is a Fellow Australian Institute of Company Directors, Fellow Governance Institute of Australia, certified INSEAD International Director, micro-credentialled in ESG Governance, holds an MBA from UQ and is a former Telstra Business Award and WABN 40Under40 Award winner.

Dr Kate O’Shaughnessy

Research Director, Perth USAsia Centre

Dr Kate O’Shaughnessy is Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre, and a former Australian diplomat, serving with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for 16 years.  Immediately before joining the Centre in 2022, she was Australia’s High Commissioner to Mauritius and Seychelles, and Ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros. Originally from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, Kate holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and PhD in Indonesian history from the University of Western Australia.  Her work on gender in Indonesia during the Suharto era – GENDER, STATE AND SOCIAL POWER IN CONTEMPORARY INDONESIA – was published by Routledge as part of its Women in Asia Series. She speaks Indonesian and French.

Kate West

Chief Officer, Business and Markets APAC, Arup

Kate West is the Chief Officer of Business and Markets for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region at Engineering consulting firm, Arup. Having previously held the position of Australasia Region Co-Chair for 4-years,  Kate’s professional background encompasses a degree in engineering and master’s in architecture, complemented by roles as a Management Consultant and Project Director in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Kate collaborates closely with leadership teams to drive Arup’s business expansion across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Renowned for her outstanding reputation and influential presence in the external market, she has been instrumental in developing Arup Australasia’s go-to-market strategy, with a strong emphasis on enhancing the firm’s external brand, client-centric approach, and share of voice, in alignment with Arup’s mission to shape a better world.