The Advisory Council for the Asian Business and Management Program at York University brings together seasoned leaders from academia, government, and industry to shape ABMP’s strategic direction and strengthen its connections between Canada and Asia. Leveraging their expertise and networks, members support ABMP in creating transformative opportunities for Asian students, officials, and educators, fostering cross-cultural understanding.
Julia Bentley
Julia Bentley is an external research associate at the York Centre for Asian Research and a distinguished fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. A seasoned former diplomat, she spent over 20 years in Asia, serving in China, Taiwan, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and was Canada’s High Commissioner in Malaysia from 2017 to 2020. At Global Affairs Canada's headquarters in Ottawa, she served as Director for Northeast Asia, Executive Director for South Asia, and Director General for South Asia, encompassing foreign policy, development, trade, and investment. Julia holds degrees in East Asian Studies from Princeton and the University of Toronto, plus a postgraduate diploma in Modern Chinese History from Nanjing University. As a member of the ABMP Advisory Council, she applies her extensive diplomatic and policy insights to strengthen Canada’s engagement with Asia.
Peter Constantinou
Peter Constantinou is a public policy practitioner and award-winning lecturer recognized with the President’s University-wide Teaching Award at York University. His research focuses on political acuity, the civil service–elected official relationship, and stakeholder relations. He has studied political acuity in Ontario’s public sector and serves as Academic Director of the Ontario Legislature Internship Programme. Peter’s experience spans government at federal and provincial levels, as well as senior roles in the college and university sectors. He has developed specialized programs for public servants, worked on over 480 projects in China, and advised the Chinese Meteorological Society. As a member of the ABMP Advisory Council, he brings diverse policy expertise and global engagement to strengthen ABMP’s connections with Asia.
Abidin Kusno
Abidin Kusno is a professor in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University and a former director of the York Centre for Asian Research (2017–22). His research interests draw upon a range of fields, including urban cultural studies, history, architecture, and geography, with a particular focus on Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. Through his work, he examines how architecture and urban space shape social consciousness and politics. Abidin’s teaching encompasses politics, planning, and urbanization, and he recently concluded a SSHRC-funded project on environmental politics in Southeast Asia, which culminated in his book Jakarta: The City of a Thousand Dimensions. As a member of the ABMP Advisory Council, he contributes his extensive expertise in Southeast Asian studies, supporting ABMP’s mission to foster cross-cultural understanding and collaboration between Canada and Southeast Asia.
Julie Nguyen
Julie Nguyen is Chair of the Canada-ASEAN Initiatives at the York Centre for Asian Research, where she fosters Canada-ASEAN collaboration by bringing together experts from academia, business, and government. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and taught Political Science and Asia-Pacific Studies at the University of Toronto. She co-founded the Canada Vietnam Trade Council and is currently an international business professor and researcher on ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Her credentials include a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies and Asian Research and an MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia, plus a BComm from Concordia University. Her experiences in research, education, and entrepreneurship support ABMP’s mission of strengthening Canada-Asia relations.
Zha Qiang
Qiang Zha is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education where he served as the Director of Graduate Program in Education in 2017–20. He was appointed as a York University Provostial Fellow in 2021–22, and was Interim Director of York Centre for Asian Research (2023–24). His research interests include Chinese and East Asian higher education, international academic relations, global brain circulation, internationalization of higher education, globalization and education, differentiation and diversity in higher education, theories of organizational change, and liberal arts education in China and elsewhere. He has written and published widely on these topics in scholarly journals such as Compare, Higher Education, Higher Education Policy, Higher Education in Europe, Harvard China Review, China Quarterly, Educational Philosophy and Theory, and in the form of books or book chapters. As an ABMP Advisory Council member, he brings deep expertise in East Asian higher education to strengthen Canada–Asia engagement.
Rui Wang
Rui Wang is the Dean of the Faculty of Science at York University and a prominent leader in higher education. He previously served as Interim Vice-President Research and Innovation and as Deputy Provost Markham, and held vice-presidential roles at Laurentian and Lakehead universities. Internationally known for his groundbreaking research on gasotransmitters, he has published widely and attracted major funding. Over his career, he has trained numerous graduate students, postdocs, and visiting scientists. As a member of the Asian Business and Management Program (ABMP) Advisory Council, Rui draws on his academic leadership and research expertise to build stronger ties between Canadian institutions and Asia, fostering innovation and partnership opportunities. His global perspective complements ABMP’s mission to advance cross-border collaboration in research, education, and entrepreneurship.