Other degrees: BA, LLB [Melb]

Alan has been a lifelong champion for a more inclusive society. As Chair of Australia's peak body for young people, he led the successful campaign to re-establish the position for a federal Minister for Youth. He also helped secure new funding to ensure that young Australians had a seat at the table, wherever the national agenda was being shaped. Alan now serves as the youngest member of the Board of Directors of Oxfam Australia - one of Australia's largest international development organisations.

• Served as Special Envoy for Young People to the UN Environment Programme, and on the National Commission for UNESCO.
• After attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, was commissioned to help grow its Global Shapers Community, which supports young changemakers across the world.
• Honoured as the 2016 ANU Young Alumnus of the Year.
• Honoured among inaugural 2019 cohort of the Obama Foundation Leaders: Asia-Pacific Program.

Alan Wu (GDLP ’12, LLM ’16) has been selected as part of the inaugural cohort of Obama Foundation Leaders: Asia-Pacific, a cross-section of 200 emerging civic leaders from 33 nations and territories in the region, who will convene in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from December 10-14.

The leaders represent public, private, and non-profit sectors, and they work on a variety of issues, ranging from education to environment to entrepreneurship.

Alan, who was named 2016 Young Alumnus of the Year at The Australian National University (ANU), is the youngest member of the Board of Oxfam Australia, one of the nation’s largest international development organisations.

He is also the Senior Regional Coordinator at the Open Government Partnership, a multilateral initiative that brings governments and communities together to advance reforms to promote government transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.

Recently, Alan was also named one of Australia's 40 Most Influential Young Asian-Australians Under 40.

What does it mean to you personally to be named among the inaugural cohort of Obama Foundation Leaders: Asia-Pacific?
The Obama Foundation Leaders program is an incredible opportunity to learn from leaders from around our region, each working with their communities to help build a fairer and stronger world.

These are folks at the frontlines of progress: tackling the climate change crisis, strengthening democracy and peace, building more inclusive societies, fighting the injustice of poverty and inequality, expanding access to health, education and public services, broadening access to economic development, and helping us all better understand and engage with our world.

How do you hope to use this platform to advance your work?
I'm looking forward to learning from leaders working for economic, social and environmental justice across our region, to better understand the biggest challenges of our time, and to strengthen our ability to help build a future that all of us can look forward to.

And finally, how did the ANU College of Law shape your own leadership qualities, professionally and personally?
An education in law is an inquiry into the nature of justice; how we can tailor incentives and sanctions to better build a fairer society where we can all succeed. I knew ANU, and its College of Law, to be a place that engaged us in this inquiry, and that spurred us to action, by strengthening our capacity, and our resolve, to build the solutions we sought.

Read more about Alan Wu's story here.