The Asia Options team is a dynamic and talented group of young Australians who span the Asia Pacific. We work out of coffee shops, universities and office buildings all along the east coast of Australia, as well as the hutongs of Beijing, ramen bars of Tokyo and jungles of West Timor. We all believe these experiences should not disappear into our resumes, but be celebrated and used to encourage other young Australians to engage with Asia.
Olly Theobald
Director
Olly works with Alibaba in Hangzhou and is enthusiastic about entrepreneurship, data science, e-commerce, and foreign languages. Olly is a graduate of RMIT University and the Hopkins Nanjing Center. Olly speaks Mandarin and Korean. Olly blogs at www.contentin.asia
Mirai Kirsanovs
Director
Mirai has lived and worked internationally with NFPs and start-ups across Asia Pacific the U.S. While building Asia Options over the past five years, Mirai has continued to work with other for-purpose organisations in building bilateral ties between Australia and Asia. She now lives in Shanghai, working with an international management consultancy and marketing agency, specialising in the Asia Pacific.
James Ton
Art Director
James is a communication designer based in Melbourne, Australia. James' design philosophy is simple; clear communication is fundamental.
Shantanu Paul
India Correspondent
Shantanu heads the Venture team at Ashoka Innovators for the Public across South Asia. He has a background in Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship which he uses in his role to Search and Select leading Social Entrepreneurs as a part of Ashoka's flagship Fellowship Program. Shantanu has a strong interest in India-Australia relations and in particular how Social Innovation can develop future prosperity and growth for both countries.
Sinead Simpkins
India Correspondent
Sinead has graduated from a Bachelor of International Studies at Western Sydney University and a Graduate Diploma in International Relations at Macquarie University. Currently a Master of Arts student at the University of New England, Sinead has worked and volunteered at NGOs and Government departments. She first went to India on a New Colombo Plan scholarship in 2017, undertaking a two-week study tour. Since learning from her classes and her study tour of India, Sinead loves what India has to offer.
Tom Sullivan
Tom Sullivan
Tom Sullivan is an RMIT Bachelor of International Studies student currently on exchange in Bandung, Indonesia with the ACICIS International Relations program. He has a focus on global development with particular interest in both Indonesia and South-East Asia more generally.
Nick Metherall
Indonesia Editor
Nick is a student at La Trobe University. He is currently conducting research on rural community-driven development and climate adaptation in remote parts of Eastern Indonesia.
Alexander Ekkel
Korean Editor
Alexander has studied and travelled extensively in South Korea for over a year. He enjoys actively keeping up to date with the goings-on in the country and is dedicated to acquanting Australians further with this exciting nation. He is currently studying Economics and Chinese at the University of Melbourne.
Kate Kalinova
Korea Correspondent
Passionate about International Relations and East Asian politics, Kate is currently interning at the Australian-Chamber of Commerce in Korea. She holds a Bachelor of International Studies (with Honours) from the University of New South Wales in Sydney and a Master Degree from the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. Having completed numerous internships in Australia, China and South Korea, Kate is continuing to explore further opportunities in the region and share her experiences with fellow students and young professionals.
Kirrily Zoon
Japan Correspondent
Kirrily spent her extended gap year collecting Japanese entry stamps in her passport for her work designing itineraries for Australians visiting Japan. In 2016 however, she left the travel industry to study a BA majoring in Japanese at La Trobe University. After representing Victoria at the Japanese Speech Contest, she is now preparing to return to Japan to undertake an internship in Tokyo before embarking on a year of study in Kyoto.
Heath Sloane
Greater China Editor
Heath is the Public Affairs Officer at the peak body for NSW Jewry, where he works closely with diverse communities to build meaningful relationships. Heath holds a Bachelor of Arts (Languages) from the University of Sydney and has studied at the Peking University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Heath speaks Mandarin, Hebrew, French and German. Heath is committed to deepening Australia-China relations by creating opportunities for young professionals to join this space.
Olly Lees
China Correspondent
Oliver Lees is a recent graduate of La Trobe University, having completed a Bachelor of International Relations with a Diploma of Languages in Mandarin Chinese. He has travelled to China numerous times for study and work opportunities. He is passionate about writing and has plans to return to China in the near future.
Alice Slevison
Greater China Correspondent
Alice's fascination with the Middle Kingdom has led her to undertake long-term study in Hong Kong, Xiamen and Nanjing.
Marie-Alice McLean-Dreyfus
Greater China Correspondent
Marie-Alice is an Honours student at the ANU studying identity and language policy. She speaks Chinese and French.