The Centre for Asian Business and Economics, Asia Society Australia and the RMIT Asia Trade and Innovation Hub hosted a discussion on Leadership in Asia with Asia Society’s global CEO and President, Dr Kyung-wha Kang.
In conversation with Anthony Bubalo, CEO of Asia Society Australia, Dr Kang explained how leaders can navigate challenges and opportunities in the world’s most important and dynamic region – Asia.
Anthony Bubalo, CEO of Asia Society Australia, and Dr Kyung-wha Kang
About the speaker
Dr Kyung-wha Kang is an accomplished diplomat who served as South Korea’s 38th Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2021—the first woman appointed to this post in the nation’s history—endeavouring to garner global support for South Korea’s initiative to engage with North Korea towards lasting peace and complete denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula.
She previously held key leadership roles at the United Nations, including Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Senior Advisor on Policy to Secretary-General António Guterres.
Before joining the United Nations, Dr Kang held various positions in South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, specialising in multilateral affairs and intergovernmental organizations. Dr Kang holds MA and PhD degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her doctorate work was in the field of international and intercultural communication. Dr Kang served as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Ewha Womans University and is currently a Distinguished Professor at the Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment, Yonsei University.