Tom is a China specialist concentrating on helping others overcome cultural and business barriers when working or dealing with ‘China’. Tom’s long term engagement with China has resulted in an impressive Chinese network and the ability to enable business outcomes.  A Mandarin speaker, he has worked in numerous organisations in China-focused program management, including; The Asialink Centre (Melbourne), Austrade (Beijing), Red Gate Gallery (Beijing) and as writer and reporter for the ABC in both China and Australia for Radio National’s Asia Pacific Program. Tom has managed programs and facilitated business and government partnerships in China for the City of Melbourne including raising the profile of the Melbourne-Tianjin Sister City relationship. In 2007, Tom was keynote speaker at the CPA China Summit.

Tom incorporates a life-long passion for China into his professional life and began studying Chinese (Mandarin) in 1987 and has completed a Graduate Diploma of International Business Studies (in Mandarin) at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.  A Graduate Diploma in Education and Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) with honours from Melbourne University and the Australian National University.  Tom has also studied in the Advanced Chinese Language Programs at the East China Normal University (Shanghai) and Second Foreign Languages Institute in Beijing.

Tom is an Honorary Associate in the China Research Centre at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and sits on the Australia China Business Council Board (Vic). He is a well connected China facilitator with extensive experience assisting business and government maximise their opportunities in China.