Announcing the First Cohort of the Asia Policy Leadership Forum

After reviewing over 600 applications from rising talents working across government, civil society, academia, media, and the private sector, Salzburg Global is excited to announce the first cohort of the Asia Policy Leadership Forum. This transformative year-long fellowship aims to nurture the next generation of policy leaders across Asia to build inclusive networks, exchange ideas, and design bold solutions for today’s most pressing policy challenges.

Faye Hobson, Director of the Culture Program Pillar at Salzburg Global, commented: “The launch of the Asia Policy Leadership Forum marks an important step in Salzburg Global’s work to strengthen policy leadership across regions. Alongside the established Public Policy New Voices Europe Fellowship, this new program supports rising leaders navigating complex governance challenges shaped by rapid technological change and shifting geopolitical dynamics. At a time when policy questions increasingly transcend borders, building structured cross-regional dialogue is both timely and necessary.”

After a series of monthly online meetings starting in February 2026, the inaugural cohort will convene in Salzburg, Austria from November 17 to 21, 2026 for a session focused on the Public Policy Challenge of “Leadership in a Digital Age: Technology, Society, and Governance in Asia.” During this gathering, Asian Fellows will engage with Fellows from Public Policy New Voices Europe in a jointly designed in-person program aimed at bridging perspectives and co-creating solutions. Through collaborative workshops and expert-led sessions, Fellows will explore strategies for strengthening digital public infrastructure, enhancing data governance frameworks, and fostering inclusive technological innovation with communities at the heart of it. Together, they will develop approaches that reflect local realities grounded in context and lived experience, while remaining focused on international exchange and a globally connected, cross-border mindset.

The launch of the Asia Policy Leadership Forum has been supported by seed funding from Google’s Public Policy team in Singapore, the Japan Foundation, along with support from the Schwarzman Scholars program and Amazon’s APAC policy team. The program builds on Salzburg Global’s Public Policy New Voices Europe Fellowship, which continues in 2026 with the support of The Walt Disney Company and Amazon’s EU policy team.

Out of hundreds of applicants, thirty Fellows have been selected for the inaugural Asia cohort, reflecting extraordinary demand for spaces where policy professionals can engage rigorously with the challenges shaping the region’s future. Following a competitive selection process, we are proud to share that the Fellows joining the first cohort include:

• Ellirie Aviles, Founder and Board Chairperson, Sigaw ng Kabataan Coalition (SKC), Philippines
• Joon Baek, Co-founder, Youth for Privacy, United States
• Gabriel Jr Billones, Founder and President, Break the Fake Movement, Philippines
• Jin Shern Chai, Visiting Fellow, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Malaysia
• Dicky Chow, Assistant Research Director, Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF), Hong Kong
• Joel Naoki Christoph, Fellow, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), Indonesia
• Lyantoniette Chua, Co-founder, AI Safety Asia, Philippines
• Akshita Gupta, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Phagwara, India
• Benjamin Heng, Regional Legal Counsel and General Counsel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Singapore
• Sebastian Hoe Wee Kiat, Lawyer Trainee, Singapore Law Firm, Singapore
• Alia Yofira Karunian, Researcher, PurpleCode Collective, Indonesia
• Ern Chern Khor, Doctoral Candidate, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Republic of Korea
• Haruka Kon, Assistant Researcher, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan
• Ashutosh Kumar, Project Lead, IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation, India
• Mariko Lawson, Manager, Public Policy, Amazon, Australia
• Kenneth Leung, Global External and TMT Regulatory Affairs Strategist, Independent, Hong Kong
• Yi-ting Lien, Co-Director, Tech for Good Asia, Taiwan
• Eddy Lin, Robbins J.S.D. Fellow, UC Berkeley Law, Taiwan
• Pak-Yen Loke, Policy Analyst, BowerGroupAsia (BGA), Malaysia
• Satyam Mishra, Lead Advisor, Foundational Learning and Digital Transformation, Mount Assisi Schools, India
• Muhammad Dhafer Muhammad Faishal, Sponsored Trainee, UNESCO, Singapore
• Pandu Putra, Special Advisor for Digital Transformation to the Minister, Ministry for Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform, Indonesia
• Chitra Rawat, Lead, Indus Action, India
• Siti Hawarina Simbolon Mulia, Founder, Women in the Future, Indonesia
• Maria Andrea Joshua Rino, Co-Founder, iLinang Philippines, Philippines
• Ayano Sasaki, Founder and Representative Director, General Association Catalyst Kyushu, Japan
• Amelia Ayang Sabrina, Policy Analyst, National Institute of Public Administration Republic of Indonesia, Indonesia
• Yuki Satake, Regional Director for Northeast Asia, IE University, Japan
• Noriko Shibao, Director, UNERI Capital, Japan
• Sohee Yang, Co-founder and CEO, VALID, Republic of Korea