Senior Fellows
Fatemeh Javani
Social Development | Child Rights | Migration | Gender Equality | Civil Society and Governance | Disaster Management
Fatemeh Javani is an Iranian social development and international cooperation specialist with more than 18 years of professional experience supporting government institutions, United Nations agencies, and international development partners across Asia and international forums. She is a PhD in Sociology from Islamic Azad University and specializes in child rights and child protection, migration governance, gender equality, social protection policy, and civil society or NGO development.
Ms. Javani has undertaken lead technical, liaison, and management roles on complex social development and international cooperation initiatives, including serving as a Department Head within the Ministry of Interior and as a Liaison Officer for the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Her experience spans policy dialogue, multi-stakeholder engagement, institutional capacity building, and urban diplomacy. She has represented national institutions in numerous international committees and global networks to bridge cooperation between public administration, academia, and civil society. Her extensive portfolio includes collaborations with major international bodies such as UNICEF, UNODC, UNESCO, and UNAIDS, with a focus on translating international rights-based frameworks into practical, sustainable, and inclusive community development outcomes.
Dr Karen Medica
Higher Education | Disaster Management | Capacity Building for Public Service | M&E | GEDSI Project Management
Dr Karen Medica is an Australian international development practitioner and higher education specialist with over 30 years of professional experience supporting governments, bilateral donors, managing contractors, and leading academic institutions across more than 20 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Africa, and Europe. She holds a PhD from Monash University—with a specialized research focus on Australia Awards scholarship outcomes—and expertise spanning capacity development, international mobility programs, cultural and social cohesion, disaster management, and graduate employability.
Dr Medica has undertaken lead technical, advisory, and senior management roles on complex international development initiatives, including serving as a Short-Term Adviser for Australia Awards programs and managing remote education strategies. Her extensive experience encompasses strategic programming, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), project design, and integrating gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) principles into public sector capacity building. She has worked comprehensively across South Asia and the Pacific, notably designing and delivering executive study tours and institutional reform programs for senior university leaders and policymakers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Her clients and institutional collaborators include the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the World Bank, Save the Children, and top-tier Australian universities such as the University of Melbourne and Monash University, focusing on driving sustainable people-to-people linkages and institutional excellence.
Quan Anh Nguyen
Climate-resilient Agribusiness | Green Trade Facilitation and Agriculture | Sustainable Finance | Solid Waste Management
Quan Anh Nguyen is a Vietnamese international development and finance specialist with 26 years of professional experience supporting multilateral development banks, bilateral donors, government institutions, and private sector enterprises across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. He holds a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and specializes in impact investing and sustainable finance, climate-resilient agribusiness development, circular economy and solid waste management, economic and financial analysis, and trade facilitation.
Mr. Nguyen has undertaken lead technical, advisory, and project management roles on complex regional cooperation and integration initiatives, including serving as Regional Asia Engagement Manager for USAID flagship programs and ASEAN Programme Head for the Climate Bonds Initiative. His extensive competence covers corporate sustainability under Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, public-private partnerships (PPPs), grant management, and cross-border transport facilitation. He has worked extensively across developing nations, managing cross-country capacity building and policy research portfolios for major organizations including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), USAID, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Mekong Institute.
Dr Abdul Qader
Decarbonization | Greenhouse Gas Mitigation | Climate Policy | Carbon Capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) | Project Management
Dr Abdul Qader is an Australian international development and technical specialist with more than 40 years of professional experience supporting governments, development partners, academia, and research organizations across Asia, Australia, and Europe. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Melbourne and specializes in decarbonization technologies, clean energy storage, greenhouse gas mitigation, climate policy implementation, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).
Dr Qader has undertaken lead technical and project management roles on complex clean energy programs, including serving as a program manager for national research organizations and founding private sector decarbonization consulting and technology firms. His experience spans project governance, strategic planning, feasibility studies, resource mobilization, and multidisciplinary stakeholder management. He has worked extensively across Asia and Australia, leading teams of international specialists to advise senior policymakers and industry leaders on net-zero transition strategies. His clients and partners have included the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the German Government’s GIZ, CSIRO, and international consortia, with a focus on translating advanced technical research into practical, high-impact climate and energy solutions.
Adj. Prof. Lindsay Sales
Health Policy and Reform | Health Sector Governance | Digital Health Ecosystem | HIV/AIDS prevention | Project Management
Adj. Prof. Lindsay Sales is an Australian international health development and structural reform specialist with extensive field experience supporting governments, multilateral agencies, and private sector consulting firms across more than 45 countries in Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Balkans. He holds a Master of Health Planning from the Faculty of Medicine at UNSW Australia and a Bachelor of Science in Health Education from the University of Canberra, complemented by postgraduate business studies at Stanford University. He specializes in national health sector governance, policy planning, and hospital structural reform, as well as predictive population-based health demand modeling and digital health ecosystems.
Professor Sales has held prominent clinical, executive, and senior management roles internationally, including serving as Deputy Director General of Health for New Zealand and as a UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the South Pacific. His extensive competence covers healthcare corporatization, institutional capacity building, disaster recovery response, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and national social health insurance design. Over a distinguished career, he has driven high-impact programs for major development bodies, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Union, and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Currently serving as an Adjunct Professor of Health Service Management at Griffith University and Managing Director of Health System Intelligence (HSi) for Asia/Pacific, he focuses on leveraging real-time predictive analytics to optimize resource allocation and ensure universal access to affordable, quality health services.
Dr. Tous Sophorn
GEDSI | Social Safeguard | Poverty and Social Analysis | M&EL | Team Leadership
Dr. Tous Sophorn is an international gender and social development specialist with more than 20 years of professional experience in gender equality, social inclusion, poverty reduction, and monitoring and evaluation across Asia and the Pacific. She holds a PhD in Innovative Technology Management, a Master of Social Science in Gender and Development Studies, and a Bachelor of Business Administration. She specializes in gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) mainstreaming, gender action plan (GAP) design, poverty and social analysis, and results-based monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL).
Dr. Sophorn has undertaken lead technical, advisory, and project management roles on complex regional development programs, frequently serving as Team Leader, International Gender Specialist, and Social Safeguards Consultant. Her comprehensive competence spans institutional capacity building, policy reviews, and the integration of inclusive development frameworks across infrastructure, labor markets, digital transformation, and climate resilience initiatives. She has worked extensively across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and the Pacific—supporting assignments in countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Nauru. Her portfolio includes extensive collaborations with prominent international organizations and bilateral donors, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), GIZ, UN Women, the ILO, and IOM, with a focus on translating evidence-based social metrics into practical solutions that advance women’s economic empowerment and inclusive community outcomes.
Daniel Winstanley
Social Protection | Public Sector Strengthening | MEL
Daniel Winstanley is a Canadian international development specialist with over 15 years of professional experience supporting governments, United Nations agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, and consulting firms across 17 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. He holds a Master of Science in International Development from the University of Edinburgh and specialises in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), social protection, governance reform, public sector strengthening, and evidence-informed policy and programme development.
Daniel has undertaken lead technical and management roles on complex international development programmes, including serving on project senior management teams and leading national research, policy, monitoring and diagnostic assessments. His experience spans programme design, strategic planning, political economy analysis, performance reporting, institutional reform, and business development. He has worked extensively in Bangladesh, supporting national social protection and governance reforms, and has advised senior government officials, development partners, and donor agencies. His clients have included UNDP, DFAT, the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and national governments, with a focus on translating evidence into practical solutions that strengthen public policy, programme performance, and sustainable development outcomes.
Dr. Ernesto B. Villegas
Social Development | Gender Mainstreaming | Social-Environmental Safeguards | Project Impact Assessment | Inclusive Education & TVET | Rural Development
Dr. Ernesto B. Villegas is a Filipino international consultant and social development specialist with over 35 years of extensive professional experience supporting multilateral development banks, bilateral donors, government entities, and consultancy firms across Southeast and Central Asia. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Xavier University and a Diploma in Population and Development from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands. He specializes in social development, gender mainstreaming, project development, project impact assessment, and social-environmental safeguards.
Dr. Villegas has undertaken senior leadership and management roles on complex regional initiatives, serving as Team Leader, Project Manager, and Vice President. His technical competence spans inclusive education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), rural development, and the intentional inclusion of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. He has worked extensively across international boundaries, directing field assignments, capability-building programs, and social research in the Philippines, Lao PDR, Bangladesh, and Tajikistan. Over his distinguished career, he has successfully delivered high-impact programs for premier international financing institutions and development partners, most notably the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank, the European Union, and AusAID.
Dr Mak Khan
Public Policy | Education | Skills and TVET | Public Sector Capacity and Governance | Social Protection | Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)
Mak Khan is an internationally recognised development strategist, institutional reform specialist, and public policy expert with nearly four decades of leadership experience across more than 35 countries in Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and Europe. An Australian national and Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne, he previously served in senior leadership positions with the United Nations, including UNDP and UNODC. Throughout his career, he has led over 60 international assignments for the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, European Union, DFAT, FCDO, ILO, UNICEF, USAID, and other development partners, providing strategic leadership in education and skills development, governance, institutional strengthening, social protection, public sector reform, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), and development effectiveness.
Dr. Khan combines strategic policy insight with practical implementation experience, having supported governments in designing and delivering large-scale reform programs, strengthening public institutions, and building sustainable national capacities. His expertise spans education system transformation, TVET, governance, organisational development, results-based management, impact evaluation, migration, climate resilience, and private sector development. A respected academic, author, and international speaker, he has published widely on development policy and governance and is recognised for his evidence-based, pragmatic, and partnership-oriented approach to solving complex development challenges. Through RMDG Global, he continues to advise governments, multilateral development banks, UN agencies, bilateral donors, and the private sector on high-impact policy reforms and institutional transformation.