UNSW International Business Advisory Board

Ariane Braam-Verkoren
VP Sales APAC/EMEA
FRISS | fraud, risk & compliance

Ariane Braam-Verkoren is a psychologist, specialised in criminology. Preventing and detecting fraud and crime is in the core of her drive and ambition. She started her career in creating ICT solutions in the field of fraud prevention for the financial and public market. Later, at Capgemini, she operated as a thought-leader and business consultant in fraud management, supporting governmental organisations in the transformation to a more risk-aware way of working. Currently, she is VP Sales at FRISS, a fraud, risk & compliance company from the Netherlands. At FRISS, she built a strong track record in creating healthy and sustainable business growth through internationalization. After successfully expanding the business in Latin America, she is now leading the sales operations in the Asia Pacific and EMEA region. Her focus thereby is on building trust and alliances in each market to create a strong ecosystem and long-term relationships for the business to thrive in.

Dr Juliet Burke GAICD
Human Capital Advisor - Professor of Practice
UNSW

Dr Juliet Bourke is a Professor of Practice in the School of Management and Governance at UNSW Business School, global workplace consultant and board member. Formerly a human capital partner at Deloitte, and business founder, she continues to work with executive teams globally and domestically.  Juliet has received numerous awards for her thought leadership, publishes regularly in the Harvard Business Review and has spoken at TEDx. Her latest book is entitled “Which two heads are better than one? The extraordinary power of diversity of thinking and inclusive leadership”. In 2023 she was recognised at a Top 101 Global Engagement Influencer by Inspiring Workplaces, in 2021 and 2022 by US based Engagedly Inc as a Top 100 Global HR Influencer, and in 2019 as one of Australia’s Top 100 Women of Influence by the AFR. 

Crispin Conroy AM
State Director, NSW State Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Mr Crispin Conroy started his career as an Australian diplomat. He held several diplomatic postings, including Ambassador to Chile and Deputy High Commissioner, Papua New Guinea.  Later, he served as Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner (STIC) for the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (AUSTRADE) in Italy, Colombia, and Chile.  While based in Chile, he was also in charge of AUSTRADE’s operations in Latin America and was Deputy Chair of the CSIRO Chile Board. Prior to taking up his current role as State Director NSW for DFAT, Mr Conroy was the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Representative Director, and the ICC Ambassador/Permanent Observer to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, leading ICC’s engagement with the UN and with the World Trade Organisation. He also led ICC’s human rights strategy and was a UN Gender Champion.  He is currently a UN Women Australia He4She advocate.

Wendy Holdenson
Director
Mitsui & Co. (Australia) Ltd.

Ms Wendy Holdenson has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. She represented Australia as Consul-General and Trade & Investment Commissioner in Japan, and was the State Director of Western Australia/South Australia/Northern Territory for the Australian Trade Commission. She held executive positions in Ernst & Young, Caltex, and GHD. Since 2014, she is a Director and held C-suite roles at Mitsui & Co (Australia), a global trading and investment conglomerate, contributing to the company’s ambitious business development and diversification agenda. She is a proponent of innovation as the key to sustainability and has championed innovation programs throughout her career. She is also passionate about educating and mentoring the next generation. She sits on the Advisory Board of Kyushu Sangyo University in Japan; is the Business Champion of the Australian Federal Government's New Colombo Plan; and mentors high-performer undergraduates as a member of the UNSW Alumni Leaders Network.

Najib Lawand
Founding Director
Export Connect

Najib Lawand founded Export Connect in June 2017 in order to use the skills, connections and expertise he acquired over 30 years in the industry to help food & agribusinesses prepare for, enter and grow export markets. Najib has exported and/or supported export market development for over 500 Australian food and agribusiness brands spanning across ambient, fresh, and frozen categories, to markets including Southeast Asia, North Asia, and the Middle East. Najib is also passionate about developing the next generation of export market development leaders via Export Connect's popular internship programme, and by serving on the UNSW International Business Advisory Board.

Rohit Pathak
Associate Vice President
Infosys Australia

Rohit Pathak has a diverse background in management, consulting, and finance. He is also a qualified Master Mariner and has commanded ocean vessels in the Norwegian merchant marine. He holds an MBA, is a member of CPA Australia and a Graduate of the AICD.  Currently, he is Associate Vice President with Global IT firm Infosys in Australia.  He manages the company’s relationships with a portfolio of large Financial Services companies. He advises these clients on strategic issues and on how to leverage IT to enhance business value and improve the customer experience. He has been active in many forums on wide ranging topics from leadership to cloud computing and IT Industry issues. He has also chaired NASSCOM in Australia. He is keen to leverage his background and experience to raise the profile of the School of Management and to assist with the relevance of the curriculum and research agendas.

Andrea Spencer-Cooke
CEO / Principal One Stone Asia Pacific
B Council Member & B Consultant

Andrea Spencer-Cooke is a sustainability expert with 30 years at the leading edge of global responsible business practice. She advises government, multinationals and SMEs on strategy, ESG best practice and leadership for positive impact, and in 2019 helped Sydney Opera House become the first major Arts institution to align with the United Nations Global Goals. She is founding director of One Stone, a certified women-owned B Corp consulting firm, and an inaugural member of the B Council, working with B Lab AANZ to develop next-economy stakeholder governance. A strategic advisor and former board member of the United Nations Association of Australia (NSW), she is also an accredited NSW Government sustainability expert and judge for the Banksia Sustainability Awards, Australia’s longest running and most prestigious corporate responsibility recognition scheme. Previously she edited a leading Scandinavian sustainable business publication, worked at the United Nations in Geneva and in 1995 co-developed the influential concept of the triple bottom line while at SustainAbility Ltd in the UK.

Dianne Tipping
Chair, Export Council of Australia &
Founding Director Excon International

Ms Dianne Tipping has had an extensive and varied career of more than four decades in international trade. She is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Export Council of Australia. Dianne is also the Founder and Managing Director of Excon International, a global trade consulting firm, that assists firms with their full suite of exporting requirements. She is extremely well-connected and highly regarded among the global trading community. Her insights are often sought in the development of government policy and design of programs, such as on customs procedures, logistics and port management issues. She is involved with many public and private organisations dedicated to the growth and sustainability of international trade, including as Co-Chair of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s Governance Board of the Implementation of the Agriculture Traceability Strategy, the Department of Home Affairs’ Customs Advisory Board, and the National Committee on Trade Facilitation.