CONTACT

York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR)
York University
Eighth Floor, Kaneff Tower, 4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3
Tel: 416.736.5821
Fax: 416.736.5688
Email: ycar@yorku.ca

Julie Nguyen has a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies and Asian Research (2004) from the University of British Columbia. She was a consultant for the United Nations in Vietnam in 1997, a research associate at the Centre for Southeast Asia Research at UBC (1996–99), conducted her SSHRC post-doctoral research at the Asian Institute, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, and taught courses in Political Science and Asia-Pacific Studies at the University of Toronto and UTSC (2005–10). Dr. Nguyen is currently a professor of International Business in Toronto, and a co-founder and director at the Canada-Vietnam Trade Council.

Sophia Leong currently leads Bintang Group International, focusing on facilitating ASEAN markets for technology companies, advising on responsible leadership and international business strategies to drive profitable companies. She embodies an entrepreneurial spirit co-founding three start-ups and has advised over 100 companies. Sophia concluded a 10-year term in 2022 with University of Ottawa, first as Executive Director Telfer Executive MBA achieving Financial Times 100 ranking and back-to-back #1 Global Executive MBA ranking by CEO Magazine before moving to executive advisory roles for the Development and International Relations Department, where she created and developed the first professional development program in Kanata North Technology Park, the largest technology park in Canada. During her tenure, Sophia also secured partnerships with universities in China, culminating with a President’s visit to Guangzhou, China, in 2014 and to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2022.

Julia G. Bentley is currently a Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, an External Research Associate of the York Centre for Asian Research, a Non-Resident Fellow at National Taiwan University’s Centre for China Studies, and a member of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Malaysia.

Julia served as Canada’s High Commissioner in Malaysia (2017-2020) and previously at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing (twice), the Canadian High Commission in Delhi, and the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei. She holds degrees in East Asian Studies from Princeton University and the University of Toronto and was a Canada-China Scholar in modern history at Nanjing University.

For general information, please write to:
info@canada-asean.org

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