Advancing transnational education: Building skills and partnerships in Southeast Asia

On behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, you are invited to express your interest in the event “Advancing transnational education: Building skills and partnerships in Southeast Asia” for an exclusive briefing on the expanding opportunities for collaboration in Southeast Asia’s education sector.

As governments across the region place a premium on workforce development, skills mobility, and education reform, transnational education (TNE) is emerging as a key pathway to deliver high-quality training, dual and joint qualifications, and industry-aligned outcomes. Demand is growing rapidly for education models that combine academic excellence with practical, workforce-ready skills.

This panel will explore how Australian institutions and businesses can expand their TNE footprint by partnering with government, universities and industry to address skills shortages, build local capacity and deliver programs aligned to regional priorities. The discussion will highlight opportunities across vocational and technical training, higher education partnerships and executive education.

Gain practical insights into market trends, partnership models and success factors that position Australian providers to play a leading role in shaping Southeast Asia’s talent and workforce agenda. 

Guest Speakers​​​​​​​ ​​

• ​​​Tennealle O’Shannessy, Australia’s Business Champion for Cambodia; CEO and Managing Director, IDP Education Ltd
• Sunny Yang, Vice-President (International Engagement), Monash University
• Elodie Journet, Head of International Education, Trade Service Excellence and Digital Delivery, Austrade
• Clare Duffield, Assistant Secretary, Southeast Asia Economic & Communications Branch, DFAT
• Catherine Mudford, Acting CEO, Asialink Business

Event Details​​​​​​​ 

Date: Thursday 5 February 2026
Time: Arrival and afternoon tea from 2.00pm – 2.30pm. Event at 2.30pm – 4.00pm.
Location: Melbourne TBC

To express your interest in attending, please register using the link above or click here.

As this is an invitation-only event, we will review submissions and contact eligible organisations with further details. Places are limited and we are prioritising submissions from Australian businesses with an interest in Southeast Asia. Expression of interest does not guarantee attendance.

We look forward to the opportunity to connect with you. For any queries, please contact asialinkbusiness-events@unimelb.edu.au

Tennealle O'Shannessy, Australia’s Business Champion for Cambodia | CEO & Managing Director, IDP Education Ltd

Tennealle O’Shannessy is a growth CEO with twenty-five years’ professional experience including scaling online education and employment platforms and e-commerce businesses.  

Ms O’Shannessy was previously the CEO of Adore Beauty, Australia's number one online beauty retailer, where she led the successful listing of the company on the ASX in 2020. She was recognised as No. 1 in the Top 50 People in E-commerce in 2022. 

Prior to this Ms O’Shannessy spent almost 10 years with SEEK, a global market leader in online employment marketplaces and education services, where she most recently held the role of Managing Director – Americas. She also held a number of global strategy-focused positions at SEEK including the start-up and scaling of Online Education Services, a public-private partnership between SEEK and Swinburne University which was awarded the 2015 BRW Fast 100 winner. Previously Ms O’Shannessy was a consultant with global tier-one management consulting firm Kearney, focusing on strategic and operational CEO-agenda issues. 

Ms O’Shannessy is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Master of Business Administration (Deans List Honours) from the Melbourne Business School as well as a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Business (Management) from Monash University. 

Sunny Yang, Vice-President (International Engagement), Monash University

Ms Sunny Yang returned to Monash University in May 2024 to take up the role of Vice President (International Engagement), after a stint at the University of Newcastle Australia as their Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Partnerships). She currently oversees Monash University’s student global mobility and international engagement, in particular, in developing Transnational Education (TNE) opportunities for the Monash Group, and supporting Monash University’s Global campuses in Malaysia, Indonesia, China and India. 

Prior to the University of Newcastle, Sunny worked at Monash University for more than 13 years as the Associate Vice-President (Student Recruitment and Admissions).  During this time, she was responsible for Monash University and Monash College’s domestic and international student attraction and admissions.  

Elodie Journet, Head of International Education, Trade Service Excellence and Digital Delivery, Austrade

Elodie Journet is the Head of International Education, Trade Service Excellence and Digital Delivery at Austrade, with responsibility for the international marketing and promotion of Australian education and training internationally.

Elodie has worked for Austrade for the past 19 years and during that time has held diplomatic appointments in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines. She has over 25 years’ experience in international business in both the public and private sectors, including in supporting the expansion and diversification of Australian education overseas.

Clare Duffield, Assistant Secretary, Southeast Asia Economic & Communications Branch, DFAT

Ms Clare Duffield is the Assistant Secretary, Southeast Asia Economic and Communications Branch, at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). In this role she is responsible for initiatives to implement Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, a report to government by Special Envoy for Southeast Asia, Nicholas Moore AO.

Ms Duffield has previously served overseas in Manila, Jakarta and New Delhi – where she has worked on a range of political, trade and development issues. Her previous roles in Canberra include heading DFAT’s Indonesia Branch and advancing Australia’s agriculture trade relationships in Southeast and South Asia at the Department of Agriculture.

Ms Duffield holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours in Indonesian Studies) and Bachelor of Law (Hons) from the University of Sydney.

Catherine Mudford, Acting CEO, Asialink Business

Catherine Mudford is Acting CEO at Asialink Business, Australia’s National Centre for Asia Capability.

Catherine is a senior business leader with 20+ years’ experience in international business, gained across developed and emerging markets. She has lived in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore and worked extensively across the Asia region from these bases. Her career to date has included roles on the client side and in consultancy, in the private sector, government and in the education sector. She joined Asialink Business in 2021 leading the development of a series of initiatives to equip Australian businesses with the skills to succeed in fast-changing Asia. This included launching the Asialink Business Academy in 2023 and the publication this year of “Asialink Leaders: 30 Years of Asia success” showcasing stories of business success in Asia and the capabilities that enable that.

Catherine is passionate about helping leaders and organisations build the awareness and insight to help them be successful as they work across borders.