Bassim Blazey is the Assistant Secretary, Papua New Guinea Branch with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. From 2015 to 2018 he was Minister-Counsellor, and then Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo.

His overseas assignments include Jakarta, New York and Tokyo. In Canberra his roles have included managing a number of branches and taskforces, including Consular Branch; Mainland South East Asia Branch; and Environment Branch.  He also led the Iraq Taskforce (2004-2005) and the UN Security Council Bid Taskforce (2008-2010).

Mr Blazey is a first-generation migrant to Australia, having moved from India with his parents as a teenager.

Magdalene (Maggie) Moi-He is the Director General, Bilateral Division with the Papua New Guinea Department of Foreign Affairs. Currently based in Port Moresby, she is a career diplomat with international service most recently as Consul-General in Brisbane, Australia from 2013-2017. She has also served as Director of Trade Negotiations.

Ms Moi-He has a Masters in International Relations and Development Studies from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Papua New Guinea.

Stephanie Copus-Campbell has worked in the field of philanthropy, aid and international development since 1993. She is currently an Executive Director on the Board of the Oil Search Foundation focusing on health, education and women’s empowerment programs in Papua New Guinea. 

Her experience includes Executive Director of the Harold Mitchell Foundation, Principal Executive for International Programs for CARE Australia, lecturer at Deakin University and international humanitarian coordinator for Australian Red Cross, Western Australia. From 2009- 2011, Stephanie was the head of Australia’s $500 million aid program with Papua New Guinea. She was also posted to Suva, Fiji, as head of Australia’s aid program with Fiji and the Pacific region and has had previous postings to PNG. She is currently the Chair of the Southern Highlands Provincial Health Authority Board in PNG and a director on the Boards of the Harold Mitchell Foundation and Femili PNG, and on the Governance Steering Committee for Bel isi PNG, which is a public private partnership to address family and sexual violence.

Stephanie holds an MPHIL degree from Cambridge University in international relations and a Bachelor degree from University of California in political science, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Stephanie is married to General Angus Campbell and has two children.

Donald Gumbis is the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Policy and Planning) at the University of Goroka. He has a Masters in International Relations from the University of New South Wales, and Masters in Education and Bachelor of Education from the University of Goroka. 

Lyn Léger is a Principal Environmental Consultant at BMT. She has over 18 years’ experience and a background in environmental science, management and law.

Lyn was previously an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development in Papua New Guinea, where she worked with the Milne Bay Community-Based Coastal and Marine Conservation Project. She has extensive professional experience as an environmental consultant in Papua New Guinea, where she has worked with a variety of government and industry groups.

Serena Sasingian is a lawyer by profession and co-founder of The Voice Inc., a leading youth development organization she co-founded whilst attending the University of PNG. She is currently Chief Executive at the Digicel Foundation PNG. She has previously worked with the Oil Search Foundation, and as a senior Policy Lawyer with the Department of Justice and Attorney General where she was in charge of the implementation of domestic violence legislation and the PNG government’s Action Plan to address sorcery and witchcraft-related violence.

Serena holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Papua New Guinea and a Masters of Business specializing in philanthropy and non-profit studies from Queensland University of Technology.

Dr Osborne Sanida is the Director of the PNG National Research Institute, PNG's public policy think tank. Dr Sanida's research interests and contributions are in the areas of economic modelling, development economics, time series econometrics, development planning, international trade, foreign direct investment and economic policy analysis.

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Economics from the University of Queensland, a Master of Business Administration and a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics from Monash University, and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Papua New Guinea.

Sean Dorney is a Walkley-award winning journalist and Nonresident fellow with the Lowy Institute in Sydney. He is well known for his many years covering Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific as correspondent for ABC News.

Sean was both deported by and awarded by the Papua New Guinean government, receiving an MBE and Companion of the Star of Melanesia (CSM) in 2018. In 2020 he became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his distinguished service to Australia-Papua New Guinea relations, to the broadcast media as a journalist, and as an author. He had previously been made a Member of the Order (AM) in 2000 for his service as a foreign correspondent. Sean’s books include Papua New Guinea: People, politics and history since 1975, The Sandline Affair, and The Embarrassed Colonialist.