Mr Ron Bevacqua
Adjunct Fellow
Research interests
- Agri-value chain development
- Financial education
- Financial regulation
- Wholesale finance
Biography
Ron Bevacqua is a US citizen with nearly 30 years of experience in banking and finance in Asia. He was the chief economist for Merrill Lynch and Commerz Securities in Japan (1993-2002), and a contributing editor for the Economist Intelligence Unit in Tokyo and Hong Kong, covering business and finance. In 2009, Ron co-founded ACCESS Advisory, a non-profit technical service provider promoting rural financial inclusion and farm and enterprise development across the Asia-Pacific Region. Headquartered in the Philippines and with teams in Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, and Japan, ACCESS has worked with hundreds of banks, cooperatives, and microfinance institutions to develop products and services that enable smallholder farmers, rural entrepreneurs, migrants and their family members to save and invest in themselves and their farms and businesses. ACCESS has also developed uniquely effective approaches to agri-value chain development and financial education.
As ACCESS’s managing director, Ron has designed ACCESS’s key approaches to the organizational development of financial institutions and agri-value chain development. He also specializes in financial regulation and wholesale finance. In 2020, the National Bank of Cambodia published his book Building An Inclusive Financial Sector: Microfinance and Market-Led Development in Cambodia.
Ron holds a master’s degree in international political economy from the University of Virginia and a master's degree in East Asian economics and politics from the University of California, San Diego.
Professor Colin Brown
Adjunct Professor
PhD
Research interests
- Modern Indonesian politics
- Indonesian history
Biography
Colin Brown is an Adjunct Professor in the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University. From 2009-2013 he was a Professor in the Department of International Relations at Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung. He has extensive experience in supervising PhD students and mentoring colleagues, both Indonesian and Australian. His fields of teaching and research expertise cover modern Indonesian history and politics.
Colin is author of Australia’s Indonesia Project: 50 years of engagement, A Short History of Indonesia: The Unlikely Nation? and (with Roger Knight) 'Commanders and Subalterns: Foreign Capital, the Sugar Industry, Farmers and Workers in Rural Java, 1930–1959'.
Dr Larry Crump
Senior Fellow
PhD, MSW, BSc
Research interests
- Multilateral, regional and bilateral negotiations
- Asia and the Pacific
- Negotiation strategy
- Negotiation complexity and its management
Biography
Larry Crump began his career in America in the mid-1970s, relocated to Japan in 1985, and arrived in Australia in 1994. Following studies in Sociology and Psychology, Larry practiced Social Work in America before establishing an international management consulting business in Tokyo—serving a diverse client base in electronics, automotive, finance, insurance, trade, and other sectors.
Larry accepted a tenured contract at Griffith University, shortly after immigrating to Australia, where he lectured in negotiation strategy and skill, international negotiation, and comparative management during his 26-year Griffith career. Larry also represented the Griffith Business School on the Human Research Ethics Committee and served as the Deputy Director of the APEC Study Centre. Larry remains actively engaged in the community by providing negotiation training in governmental and corporate settings.
After conducting ground-breaking research, Larry received research awards for academic articles and books that investigate negotiation complexity and its management. Larry has examined many bilateral trade treaty negotiations between national governments, and numerous regional associations (APEC , EU , Mercosur, Pacific Alliance, and UfMG), and international organisations ( G20 , GATT , UN , and WTO ). Recent research builds theory on negotiation strategy and closure, deadlocks, linkages, turning points, and framing. Initially, Larry will study negotiations between Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Island nations as a GAI Senior Fellow.
Clinton Dines
Adjunct Professor and member of the GBS Strategic Advisory Board
BA Modern Asia Studies
Biography
Clinton Dines was born and raised in regional Queensland and went to Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, graduating in 1978 with a Bachelor’s Degree from the School of Modern Asian Studies. He is also a graduate of the Course in International Management at INSEAD in France. Clinton arrived in China in early 1979 on a post-graduate program arranged by Griffith University and lived and worked continuously in the Greater China Region for almost 36 years, mostly in mainland China.
In 1988 he was recruited by BHP to be the company’s senior country executive for China and stayed with the group for more than 21 years, retiring as President of BHP Billiton China in July 2009.
Throughout his career Clinton has specialised in both the strategies and business practices involved in negotiating, establishing and operating Sino-Foreign ventures, and in the management and development of foreign-invested and operated businesses in China. Clinton is a fluent Mandarin speaker and is currently a Principal of Moreton Bay Partners, a Non-Executive Director of Fonterra Cooperative Group, Zanaga Iron Ore Company, Aurecon Group and North Queensland Airports. He is also a member of the Griffith University Council.
Peter Dirou
Adjunct Research Fellow
PhD (Melb)
Areas of expertise
- Finance sector development
- Pacific finance sector architecture
- Private sector development
- Institutional economics
Biography
Peter Dirou is an adjunct research fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute. His research lies at the intersection of institutional economics and public law. It focuses on advancing thinking on conceptual frameworks that address the lack of scale in PICs and the implication for local institutions. He earned his PhD from the University of Melbourne Law School.
Over the last 25 years Peter has worked for a number of multilateral and bilateral organisations advising on financial sector issues, primarily in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Prior to joining Griffith, he led the finance focus area of the Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative.
Pieter Franken
Adjunct Research Fellow
MSc
Research interests
- Digital Transformation
- FinTech, Financial Inclusion
- Digital Leadership
- Green Finance
Biography
Pieter Franken is a passionate global Fintech Pioneer and a Deep Tech Innovator with many industry firsts under his belt. Career spanning over 30+ years in the Financial Industry, specializing in technology leadership, FinTech, innovation and large-scale digital transformations. C-level and executive positions with industry leaders such as Citigroup, Shinsei Bank, Aplus, Monex Group, Union Digital Bank and ModuleQ, and senior advisory/board positions including Elevandi, RegGenome Limited., EmeradaCo and SAFECAST.ORG, a global nonprofit organisation critically acclaimed for citizen-sourced, open environmental data.
Pieter is a member of Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) International Technology Advisory Panel (ITAP) and a Founding Member of the ASEAN Innovation Network (AFIN , now Synfindo), a nonprofit company founded by MAS, World Bank and ABA (ASEAN Banking Association) to accelerate digital transformation across Asia and other developing regions to foster Financial Inclusion and bridging the gaps between FinTechs and Financial Institutions and operator of the APIX Platform.
Professor Roman Grynberg
Adjunct Professor
PhD Economics, MA Economics, BEc
Research interests
- Foreign International Trade
- Microeconomics
- International Commercial Diplomacy
- Trade and Development
- International Trade Relations
Biography
Roman Grynberg is the Manager of the Economic Governance Programme, Pacific Islands Forum. Prior to this, he was the Deputy Director of Trade and Regional Integration at the Commonwealth Secretariat (2000-2005). He has also held positions with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, as well as acting as an economic adviser to the Pacific Islands Forum and the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.
Roman is a Polish-born professor of economics, author, and academic at the University of Namibia's Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. He has written economics papers on SACU and is specialised in international trade and commodities, and has written several research papers in the disciplines. He is also a regular columnist for The Namibian and has written for the Mail and Guardian on macroeconomic concepts.
Professor Yan Islam
Adjunct Professor
PhD , MA (Economics), BA Economics ( Hons )
Research interests
- East Asian political economy
- Neoliberalism
Biography
Iyanatul (Yan) Islam held, until recently, a director-level appointment at the International Labour Organization ( ILO ), Geneva, Switzerland with supervisory responsibility as Chief, Employment and Labour Market Policies Branch, Employment Policy Department, ILO Geneva. He was responsible for leading, coordinating and managing the work of over 40 staff.
He is now Adjunct Professor, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
Yan held the position of Professor of International Business at the School of International Business and Asian Studies, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, Australia from 2003 to 2010, having first joined Griffith in 1989. He is an international development economist educated at Manchester [Bachelor of Arts in Economics, First Class Honours and Richard Cobden Prize Winner], Western Ontario [Master of Arts in Economics], Cambridge [PhD, Economic Development]. Since the mid-1980s, he has worked as an external expert for the ILO and, on some occasions, for the UNDP . He is the author and co-author of more than 100 publications consisting of refereed journal articles, books and edited volumes, book chapters, working papers, policy reports (principally for the ILO ) and commentaries in leading online journals (voxeu.org and Social Europe Journal). He is one of the founding editors of the Journal of Asia-Pacific Economy [Routledge, London and New York].
Dr Wesley Morgan
Adjunct Research Fellow
PhD Political Science, BA ( Hons ), BA Media and Cultural Studies
Research interest
- Contemporary geopolitics in the Asia Pacific;
- Pacific islands and international politics of climate change and oceans
- Development and trade policy
- Agriculture in the Pacific islands
- Human mobility/migration
- Human rights
Biography
Dr Wesley Morgan is Research Coordinator at Pacific Connections (Australia) and an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University, a Research Associate at the Development Policy Centre, Australian National University and an Honorary Research Fellow at the East Asia Security Centre, Bond University.
Dr Morgan's research interest includes contemporary geopolitics and diplomacy in the Asia Pacific; Pacific islands and international politics of climate change and oceans; development and trade policy; agriculture in the Pacific islands; human mobility/migration; human rights. He has recently co-authored two policy briefs with Dr Tess Newton Cain, published by the Griffith Asia Institute—Activating greater trade and investment between Australia and Pacific island countries and Strengthening Australia's relationships with Pacific island countries.
Professor Andrew O'Neil
Adjunct Professor
PhD Political Science, Master of Arts International Relations, BA ( Hons ) Political Science
Research interests
- Alliances
- Nuclear weapons
- Theories of deterrence and escalation
- Asia-Pacific foreign and defence policy
Biography
Andrew is Professor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law and Business at the Australian Catholic University. Before taking up this role, he was Acting Dean of the Graduate Research School and Professor of Political Science at Griffith University. From April 2016 to October 2021, Andrew was Dean (Research) in the Griffith Business School. Prior to this, he was Head of the School of Government and International Relations (2014-2016) and Director of the Griffith Asia Institute (2010-2014). Before entering academia, and immediately after finishing his PhD , Andrew worked as a Commonwealth public servant for Australia's Department of Defence. Working in teams, Andrew has received ARC Discovery and Linkage Project funding, as well as competitive industry funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Japan Foundation, and the Department of Defence. Between 2020-22, Andrew was a member of the Australian Research Council's College of Experts. He is currently an Associate Investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women ( CEVAW ).
Professor Andrew Selth
Adjunct Professor
PhD, M Arts, GDip Strategic Studies, B Arts ( Hons )
Research expertise
- Burma (Myanmar)
Biography
Professor Andrew Selth is an Adjunct Professor at the Griffith Asia Institute. He has been studying international security issues and Asian affairs for 45 years, as a diplomat, strategic intelligence analyst and research scholar. During this time, he has been an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University ( ANU ), a Visiting Fellow at the ANU ’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, a Chevening Scholar at Saint Antony’s College, Oxford University, an Australian Research Council Fellow at Griffith University and a Harold White Fellow at the National Library of Australia.
Professor Selth has published ten books and more than 50 peer-reviewed works, most of them about Myanmar (Burma) and related subjects. He has also contributed to the public debate on Myanmar through articles in newspapers, magazines and various online fora, notably the Lowy Institute’s Interpreter and the ANU ’s New Mandala blogs.
Dr Adele Webb
Adjunct Research Fellow
PhD Political Science, MSc Political Sociology, BA Development Studies, BA/LLB
Research interests
- Political theory
- Political histories in Southeast Asia
- Democracy and Post-colonialism in the Philippines
- Politics of the middle classes
- Corporate accountability and sustainable development policy
Biography
Dr Adele Webb is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute. Her research focuses on democratic theory and its application to political histories and contemporary political dynamics in Southeast Asia. In response to the rise of populist politics in existing democracies, her most recent project studied the impact of colonial history on democratic imaginaries in the Philippines. Since 2013 Adele has provided expert commentary and analysis on Philippine politics for the ABC, The Conversation, the Australian Institute of International Affairs, and others.
Before joining Griffith, Adele was Adjunct Lecturer at the Institute of Political Science, Heidelberg University Germany, Research Associate for Digital Rights in Australia and Asia at the University of Sydney, Visiting Research Fellow at the Berlin Social Science Centre, and PhD researcher with the Sydney Democracy Network. Prior to working in academia, Adele was executive director of Sydney-based non-profit research and advocacy centre Jubilee Australia.