Unlocking Regional Opportunity Through Australia-Southeast Asia Professional Placements
How immersive placements bridge markets, strengthen relationships, and accelerate business engagement between Australia and Southeast Asia
14 Southeast Asian participants of the Melbourne 2026 Program during a visit to Global Victoria
Overview
Strategic Development Group (Strategic) implemented the Professional Placements Program on behalf of the Australian Government to enable Australian and Southeast Asian businesses to send and receive early- to mid-career professionals for international professional placements. Through this program, Strategic has enabled knowledge exchange and capacity-building opportunities for 58 businesses, fostering enduring business-to-business relationships grounded in strong people-to-people connections.
In April and May 2026, 14 Southeast Asian professionals from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam came together as a cohort to undertake professional placements in Melbourne-based businesses.
Participating Organisations
25 organisations participated in this professional placement opportunity.
Southeast Asian Businesses
Australian Businesses
The Opportunity
For participating businesses, the program created opportunities to pursue a wide range of strategic objectives – from exploring market expansion opportunities and building regional partnerships to gaining insights into local business environments and regulatory frameworks.
For Indonesian participant Tungga Putri, Co-Founder & CEO of Perfectfit, a social enterprise producing sustainable women’s hygiene products, the program provided an opportunity to explore pathways into the Australian market, build relationships with prospective partners, and gain firsthand insight into how Australian social enterprises scale their impact.
“Perfectfit has been planning to expand into the Australian market, and I wanted to build the relationships and understanding to make that real. Second, I wanted to widen my own experience as a founder by stepping outside my day-to-day in Bali and learning from how AU social enterprises operate. Third, I wanted to deepen Indonesia-Australia business and impact connections more broadly, that bridge feels under-built, and I wanted to contribute to it.”
Indonesian participant, Tungga Putri, Co-Founder & CEO, Perfectfit, Indonesia (right) with her host, Paige Pomare, Head of People Experience, Who Gives a Crap, Australia (left)
Placement Outcomes
Participants were matched with Melbourne-based host organisations to undertake placements aligned with their professional expertise and strategic objectives. Through direct involvement in business activities, industry events, and client engagements, participants gained practical insight into Australia's commercial landscape and developed relationships with key stakeholders, partners, and industry leaders.
To support participants' transition into the Australian business environment, the program commenced with a structured orientation designed to build cultural awareness, strengthen professional networks, and equip participants for a successful placement experience. Drawing on contributions from a range of organisations and businesses, the orientation offered participants valuable insights into Australia's commercial landscape and opportunities for regional engagement.
By bringing participants together as a group, the Melbourne 2026 program enriched individual placements through facilitated learning, peer exchange and cross-cultural engagement. Bringing together participants from different sectors, countries and professional backgrounds, cohorts created opportunities to share perspectives, build regional networks and develop connections beyond the host workplace. In Melbourne, this model also enabled multi-country learning experiences, allowing participants from across Southeast Asia to connect, collaborate and learn from one another as well as from their Australian hosts, creating enduring professional networks across the region.Benefits and Broader Impact from these Placements
“Being part of a cohort created a strong sense of shared experience, support, and learning throughout the program. Since we all came from different sectors, countries, and professional backgrounds, there was a constant exchange of perspectives and ideas. Some of the most meaningful conversations happened outside formal sessions, during walks, dinners, transport, and casual moments where we reflected on our experiences together… I believe those relationships will continue well beyond the program itself, both personally and professionally.”
Program Collaborators
First Nations learning experiences delivered by the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and the Koorie Heritage Trust supported deeper cultural awareness and understanding.
Participants also engaged with key institutions across Victoria's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, including Asialink Business, Asia Society, Global Victoria, Monash University, RMIT University, and StartSpace at the State Library Victoria. Through these sessions, participants gained insight into the support structures, networks, and pathways available to businesses seeking to innovate, scale, and expand internationally.
The program also introduced participants to Victoria's globally recognised health and biomedical innovation sector, showcasing one of the state's key strengths and growth industries.
14 Southeast Asian participants of the Melbourne 2026 Program at the Celebratory Closing Event
In just three weeks, participants delivered impressive outcomes – developing and launching new marketing strategies, presenting fresh systems thinking analyses, and supporting market entry approaches with host leadership teams, to name a few.
To learn more about specific outcomes achieved by selected participants, please see the following case studies:
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade hosted the celebratory closing event at Melbourne Town Hall, bringing together participants, host organisations, senior representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and delivery partners. The event marked the culmination of an intensive three-week, immersive business-to-business experience, highlighting the connections formed, insights gained, and partnerships initiated throughout the program.
Justin Whyatt, First Assistant Secretary, DFAT, at the Melbourne 2026 Program Celebratory Closing Event
Benefits and Broader Impact of the Placements
For the Australian host businesses:
· Deepened cross-cultural and market understanding
· Opened doors for future partnership and business development
· Shared knowledge and exchanged expertise
For the Southeast Asian businesses:
· Immersive experience to inform regional market entry
· Expanded international business networks with prospective partners, clients, industry bodies, and policy stakeholders
· Gained cultural, regulatory, and business insights
Filipino participants Fatima Rances, StoryIQ (left) and Judith Escobar, Cleantech (right) with Australian host Katherine Leong, CSNet (middle left) and Strategic representative Sabina Curatolo (middle right) at the Melbourne 2026 Program Networking Event
Conclusion
The Melbourne 2026 program highlighted the value of in-market experience in building capability, strengthening networks, and informing international business strategy. Participants and host organisations gained practical insights into new markets, business environments, and sector-specific opportunities, while reinforcing the importance of trust, cultural understanding, and sustained engagement in successful cross-border collaboration.
At its heart, the Professional Placements Program was about building genuine, enduring business-to-business relationships through shared experience. The depth of collaboration and connection that emerged throughout the program has opened new channels for engagement across a diverse range of sectors and created a strong foundation for ongoing partnership.
As participants and host organisations continue to build on the relationships and insights developed during the program, we look forward to seeing how these connections support stronger business engagement and deeper economic ties between Australia and the region.
Southeast Asian participants, Australian hosts, program alumni, program partners and DFAT representatives at the Melbourne 2026 Program Celebratory Closing Event
About the Professional Placements program
The Professional Placements program was an 18-month pilot program funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040. The program offered support to Australian and Southeast Asian businesses to send or host temporary professional placements of young professionals between Australia and Southeast Asia. Countries included Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.
