Jieh-Yung Lo from the ANU Centre for Asian Australian Leadership: Interview #7

There is a huge disparity that exists between the over-representation of Asian-Australians amongst elite university graduates versus the vast under-representation of Asian-Australians in workforce leadership. This means that a large number of highly educated, high-achieving workers are sitting around, unrecognised, in the dreaded space that is middle management.

Despite Asian-Australians making up around 14% of the Australian population, only 2% of Asian-Australians occupy executive leadership in ASX200 companies. I feel saddened by the fact that so many of us accept and overlook this disparity and can continue on working under the shade of the bamboo ceiling.

Luckily, people like Jieh-Yung Lo are no longer allowing this lack of representation in corporate leadership to go unnoticed. As the Director of the Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership, Jieh-Yung plays an integral role in advocating for change in the current landscape. He has taught me so much in the very short period of time that I have known him and it is a privilege to share his interview with you below.

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1. Could you please tell us your name, age and what it is that you do?

My name is Jieh-Yung Lo, I’m 35 years old and I am the inaugural Director of the Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership (CAAL) at the Australian National University (ANU). 

CAAL’s mission is to address the significant under-representation of Asian-Australians in senior leadership positions within Australia’s public institutions and major private sector corporations. My personal experiences as a hyphenated Australian strengthens my resolve to contribute to building Australia’s prosperity and shaping its national identity. My own brush with the ‘bamboo ceiling’ early in my professional career motivates me to break it down and remove the barriers for the current and next generation of Asian-Australians so they can reach their potential and aspirations. 

2. What do you do to take care of your mental health and wellbeing?

In terms of managing my mental health and wellbeing, I have found reading to be a very good way to recharge and reboot while music has been effective in helping me relax and reflect. I read a lot of world history, biographies, maps, classic Chinese novels like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and fantasy works like The Lord of the Rings. Like my reading, my taste in music is just as diverse ranging from Chinese Cantopop and Mandopop to global household names such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, Queen, Foster The People, AC/DC, The Chainsmokers, Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Taylor Swift. 

The mobile game Pokémon Go has been a welcome addition to my mental health and wellbeing routine. Seeing one of my favourite childhood games and anime appear in the real world through augmented reality is quite nostalgic. To my fellow Pokémon trainers, you can catch me conquering the world of Pokémon Go under the alias ‘AznOz85’. 

3. Can you think of one example that demonstrates how growing up Asian in Australia has impacted you? 

Ever since I could remember, I have always been comfortable and proud of my hyphenated Australian identity as a Chinese-Australian. Despite being born in Melbourne, we spoke Chinese Cantonese at home where my parents and family taught my younger Sister and I Tang poetry and Song proverbs. We read the four Chinese classics, wuxia novels, Chinese philosophy and history, watched Chinese and Hong Kong films and television series like Justice Bao. My Father, an extremely gifted Chinese musician, even attempted to teach me the Erhu (also known as the Chinese violin) but my lack of interest and talent in music meant this is the one legacy I have failed to uphold.

Growing up Asian in Australia has allowed me to develop strong cultural intelligence skills to understand, communicate and navigate across cultures. These skills play a major role in my analysis and decision making that enabled me to achieve a number of professional career milestones like co-initiating and successfully delivering the Hobart-Xi’an sister/friendship city relationship on behalf of the City of Hobart, representing different voices and communities as a local government councillor at the City of Monash and now my work with CAAL at the ANU. 

The values my parents and family instilled in me provided a strong foundation in the formation of my hyphenated Australian identity – values I hope to impart on my Daughter Hopelyn and the next generation of Asian-Australian leaders and influencers. 

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Connect with Jieh-Yung on LinkedIn HERE.
And read some of his writing HERE.