Our People

Leadership is not just another topic for our trainers, it is a way of life. Our facilitators are more than just trainers - they are deeply involved in leadership positions and leadership education, with leadership experiences across government, industry and community.

Our principals, Wai Kiong Chan and Shona Leppanen-Gibson lead a highly experienced cohort of senior practitioners and advisors who include former CEOs, senior academics and corporate leaders and Government Ministers.

Australian Leadership Skills Centre

CEO and Principal Trainer

Bachelor of International Business, QUT
Graduate Diploma in Adult and Vocational Education, GU
Master of Business Administration, GU
Master of eCommerce, GU

Shona

Leppanen-Gibson

Australian Leadership Skills Centre

General Manager and

Principal Trainer

Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, First Class Honours, GU
Master of eCommerce, GU
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

Wai Kiong CHAN

CEO and Senior Consultant, Paradigm Infinitum (www.paradigminfinitum.com)
Co-Chairman, International Circle
Co-Chairman, Asia Business Forum (ABF)
Senior VP, Australia Malaysia Business Council Queensland
Board Member, Lord Mayor of Brisbane’s International Business Roundtable
Special Strategic Advisor to the Punjabi Welfare Association Inc.
Ambassador, World Badminton Federation Sudirman Cup
Co-founder, ASEAN Australia New Zealand Business Council (AANZBC)
Co-Founder, New Media and the Informed Citizen (NMIC)
2017 Sudirman Cup Community Ambassador
2018 Commonwealth Games Community Ambassador
Co-Founder, Nordic Forum of Australia
Alumnus, Australian Government’s Australia Malaysia Institute, DFAT
Former Director, 31 Digital TV

Kiong is a specialist in leadership and management, government reform, strategy, international business, training and executive education. He lectured in international business, international marketing, trade and investment for several years (in the 1990s) before taking up more senior roles elsewhere. He was also previously a senior human resource development professional and leadership expert in a large Australian organisation (12,000 employees). In 2002 his team’s leadership development project was awarded the inaugural State Gold Award for Excellence in Corporate and Support Services.

In 2005, Kiong was appointed as Chairman of the Review of all Queensland Police Service human resource development activities in response to the findings and recommendations of the state’s independent anti-corruption watchdog the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) as outlined in the CMC report ‘Seeking Justice’. As Chairman, he led a review of all 11 major development programmes, and all training, education and information activities and led the development of more than 30 information, education and training products.

Kiong also played a lead role in helping a major Queensland government department to internationalise its services for the first time to include not only Queensland but also the rest of Australia and many other countries and this was done over a three year period, and assisted the government greatly not only to expand its programme nationally and internationally, but also to help to significantly reduce cost and expenditure.

Kiong is highly experienced in leadership development and has helped to develop the leadership and capacity of senior government officers from countries such as Thailand, China, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Fiji, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, Kiong has trained numerous managers and leaders in the private and public sector. From the public sector, he has trained hundreds of fire and rescue officers, state police, federal agents, disaster management and other specialists from around Australia and the Asia Pacific.

General Manager and Senior Consultant, Paradigm Infinitum (www.paradigminfinitum.com)
Inaugural Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Programme (A2ELP) in KL (represented Australia at the invitation of the Australian Government)
Co-Chairman, International Circle
Co-Chairman, Asia Business Forum (ABF)
President, Australia Malaysia Business Council Queensland (AMBCQ)
Former Director, 31 Digital TV
Special Strategic Advisor to the Punjabi Welfare Association Inc.
Ambassador, World Badminton Federation Sudirman Cup
Co-founder, ASEAN Australia New Zealand Business Council (AANZBC)
Co-Founder, New Media and the Informed Citizen (NMIC)
Community Ambassador 2018 Commonwealth Games
Co-Founder, Nordic Forum of Australia
Attaché, Mental Health Foundation Australia
Ambassador, Mental Health Foundation Australia (2020-2021)
Alumnus, Australian Government’s Australia Malaysia Institute, DFAT

Shona has extensive experience in marketing, public relations, media management, government, e-commerce, strategy, planning, and education and training. She has worked for several universities and educational institutions, as well as clients in the private and government sectors in a variety of industries. Over the years Shona has trained numerous public servants and managers in leadership and management.

Shona has planned, organised, managed and evaluated numerous forums, symposia and conferences. She has also assisted symposium presenters in conceptualising, researching, analysing and preparing their presentations. She has worked for several universities and educational institutions, and in the private and government sectors.

Shona has a very strong understanding of Asian and international affairs, and is the current President of the Australia Malaysia Business Council (Qld). Her knowledge of Asian cultures and Asian political economy has on a number of occasions resulted in her being invited to brief Australian diplomatic and government officials being posted overseas.

Shona studied in Australia and has won several scholarships, academic awards and writing awards. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Media) with First Class Honours, and a Master of Electronic Commerce. Shona is a twice alumnus of the Australian Government’s Australia Malaysia Institute.

Apart from serving on the executive of the Australia Malaysia Business Council Queensland (AMBCQ) since 2007, Shona is also the Chairman of the Asia Business Forum and the Chairman of the Nordic Forum of Australia. In 2011 Shona was selected by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to represent Australia in the inaugural Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Programme in KL, Malaysia. She was also invited to attend the 25th Asia Pacific Roundtable, a multilateral senior leadership forum focussing on strategic and international issues affecting the Asia Pacific Region.