Creating Skills for life

APTC Board

Trevor Riordan (Chair)

Trevor Riordan is an Independent Consultant on Skills and Employability and is a former Manager of Training Policies for the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, and a Director a.i. of the ILO Pacific Office in Suva. Trevor holds a Master of Education (Higher Ed.) from the University of Melbourne, a Bachelor of Engineering (Mech) from Swinburne University, and a Diploma of Technical Teaching from the Hawthorn Institute of Education. Trevor has been involved with the OECD on Skills Recognition and National Qualifications Frameworks; the Joint ILO and UNESCO TVET Working Group; the TVET Donor Working Group hosted by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC); and, as a member of the UN Steering Committee for the UN Pacific Regional Conference. Trevor also has extensive experience in providing technical advice to many countries in Asia and the Pacific, and Africa, to assist them in improving their national skills policies and systems.

Celeste Powell

Celeste Powell has led the Pacific Education & Integration Branch in the Office of the Pacific in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade since September 2021. She has worked for DFAT on Pacific regional issues since 2018, including climate change, oceans, fisheries, security and vaccine access. Ms Powell previously worked for the Australian environment ministry, the National Oceans Office and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries.

Lesieli Taviri

Lesieli Taviri is Executive General Manager Banking, Kina Bank, Papua New Guinea. Lesieli has a Bachelor of Science from the PNG University of Technology and an MBA from the Torrens University, Adelaide, Australia. She is a Harvard Alumni having graduated from the Harvard School of Business Advanced Management Program (AMP191). Lesieli is the Deputy Chair of PNG’s largest Superannuation Fund, Nambawan Super Limited serving on the Audit and Risk Committee and Chairs the Transformation committee. She is the Founding Chair of the Business Coalition for Women and is a Director of Institute of National Affairs, a local socio-economic think tank. Lesieli is also a member of the PNG Institute of Directors and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Megan Lilly

Megan Lilly is the Head of Workforce Development for The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group). Prior to this she was the Chief Executive Officer of Business Services Training Australia, the national industry advisory board for the business services and related industry sectors. Before joining the national board, she held several senior management positions in various Victorian TAFE institutes. Ms Lilly is a member of the Australian Industry Skills Committee (alternating Director), Deputy Chair – Worldskills Australia, member National Apprenticeship Employment Network, member of the Australian College of Educators and the Naval Shipbuilding College – Delivery Advisory Committee. Megan has also been appointed to the expert Panel to Review the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

Fantasha Lockington

Fantasha Lockington is currently the Chief Executive Officer for the Fiji Hotel & Tourism Association (FHTA) based in Suva. Ms Lockington is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors with a Masters of Business Administration from the University of the South Pacific and several IATA airline related management qualifications. In her capacity as the CEO for FHTA, she is the industry’s proponent for Government engagement with tourism businesses with strong advocacy for growth opportunities, productivity and equitable regulatory reforms. In her varied roles with the Fiji Higher Education Commission, Fiji National University Advisory Committee, Employment Relations Advisory Board, Fiji Revenue & Customs Services Review Committee, and the Fiji Commerce & Employment Federation’s Tourism & Transport Council, she supports private sector consultation and collaboration to strengthen and promote resilient business environments that will ensure Fiji’s biggest industry continues to grow sustainably.

Dr Richard Brown

Richard Brown is Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Queensland. He specialises in the economics of international migration, with a focus on the South Pacific, and in applied cost-benefit analysis. He has extensive international experience as an applied project and policy analyst, including industrial, infrastructural and educational projects and has conducted numerous professional development workshops in cost benefit analysis for government and non-government agencies in Australia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia and the South Pacific.

APTC is an Australian Government initiative in partnership with the Pacific and Timor-Leste.

APTC is implemented by TAFE Queensland (RTO 0275)