Alumni event explores Australia’s future in Southeast Asia

Alumni event explores Australia’s future in Southeast Asia

Around 50 alumni from across disciplines joined industry leaders and staff at the RMIT Asia Hub for Building Success in Southeast Asia, a special alumni event exploring Australia’s future engagement with the region.

Held in Melbourne this week, the evening featured opening remarks from diplomat and global business leader Michaela Browning, who received an Honorary Doctorate in Business from RMIT last year.

This was followed by a panel discussion featuring Browning, economist Professor Ashton de Silva and RMIT alumna and Brand Catalyser co-founder Christie Ding, facilitated by Joanna Watts, Chief Advancement Officer at RMIT.

Watch the event recording here.

Drawing on her experience across diplomacy, technology and international business, Browning reflected on the growing importance of Southeast Asia to Australia’s future.

“If you build expertise and business in Southeast Asia, its economies, its cultures, its politics, you are choosing not a niche,” Browning said. 

“You are choosing the centre of gravity for Australia’s future,” she said.

She said the careers and businesses of the future would increasingly be shaped by issues including the energy transition, digital transformation, supply chain resilience, regional security and cross-border collaboration.

“Southeast Asia sits at the centre of every one of those questions,” she said.

Michaela Browning shares insights on Australia’s future engagement with Southeast Asia during her opening remarks at the Building Success in Southeast Asia alumni event.

Browning also highlighted the importance of long-term relationships and cultural understanding in Southeast Asia.

“One of the things that Australia has - and that RMIT offers - is a legacy of commitment to our region and long networks and trusted relationships,” she said.

“Relationships matter in Southeast Asia for your business success, really, truly. It is not a transactional place. 

“In Southeast Asia it still matters to show up in person. And it still matters to show up in person enduringly.” 

“That matters a lot in Southeast Asia, which I find wonderful.”

Alumni, staff and guests attend RMIT’s Building Success in Southeast Asia event at the RMIT Asia Hub.

The panel explored market diversity across Southeast Asia, regional complexity and the importance of cultural understanding for businesses entering or expanding into the region. 

Ding shared insights from her experience supporting businesses with cross-border market entry and strategy, while Professor de Silva discussed findings from the Australian Business in Southeast Asia Survey, led by AustCham ASEAN.

The discussion also reflected RMIT’s longstanding engagement across Southeast Asia through education, research and industry partnerships. 

This includes RMIT Vietnam, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and the University’s long-standing partnerships in Singapore, which will mark 40 years in 2027.

Find out more

The event highlighted the strength of RMIT’s global alumni network and the important role alumni continue to play in building connections and partnerships across Southeast Asia. Learn more about the RMIT alumni community.

Alumni and industry members working across the region are also encouraged to contribute to the 2026 Australian Business in Southeast Asia Survey.

The RMIT Asia Hub builds deeper Australian business, student and community understanding of Asia through industry connections, partner networks, and Asian Australian-led programming.

The Hub co-locates the Asia Society Australia, Australian APEC Study Centre and the Australia Vietnam Policy Institute (AVPI) in a modern facility in the heart of RMIT’s Melbourne City campus. Find out more about the RMIT Asia Hub.

07 May 2026

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07 May 2026

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