Advisory Board

Chair, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Strategic Engagement, The University of Auckland

Dr Erik Lithander

The Chair of the Board of the Confucius Institute in Auckland, Dr Erik Lithander is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Strategic Engagement of The University of Auckland and a member of its Senior Management Team. He is responsible for international education and international relations, government and stakeholder engagement in New Zealand, alumni relations and development and Pacific strategy and engagement.

Prior to commencing this role in 2021, Dr Erik Lithander was at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, where he held the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Global Engagement) from 2016. He was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (International and Outreach) at the Australian National University in Canberra and Director of International Affairs at University College Dublin.

Vice President, Fudan University

Prof. Chen Zhimin

Professor Chen Zhimin is the Vice President of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. His research interests include international relations theory, diplomacy studies, Chinese foreign policy and EU studies.

DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO

Prof. Jessica Palmer

Professor Jessica Palmer is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement) at the University of Otago. Prior to taking up this role, she was the Dean of Law from 2018 to 2021 and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Humanities from 2021 to 2024, when she was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor External Engagement.

Jessica sits on several governance boards primarily in the not-for-profit sector and has strong skills in strategy, organisational structure and risk management.  She is currently Deputy Chair of Laidlaw College, Chair of the Wilberforce Foundation, and a member of the National University of Samoa Council.

In 2004 she won the New Zealand Law Foundation Ethel Benjamin Prize enabling her to study at Cambridge University. Jessica is a Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Society and a Leonard Cowling Scholar at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.

Jessica’s primary areas of research are equity and trusts, the law of restitution and the law of contract. Her publications have been influential on the approach taken by courts to these issues in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. She has spoken regularly at conferences for practising lawyers and in seminars for judges.

Professor of Chinese, The University of Auckland

Prof. Paul Clark

Paul Clark is Professor of Chinese at The University of Auckland, Director of the North Asia CAPE (Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence), Associate Director of New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre and Academic Director at The New Zealand Centre at Peking University.

Deputy Chairman, Academic Colleges Group Limited

Danny Chan

A third-generation New Zealand Chinese, Danny was brought up in Wellington. He holds a number of directorships in New Zealand. He was a co-founder and is the Deputy Chairman of Academic Colleges Group Limited, the largest private education group in New Zealand.

Former Executive Director, New Zealand China Council

Patrick English

Patrick English is the former Executive Director of the New Zealand China Council, established in 2012 as a key part of the Government’s NZ Inc China Strategy, aiming to retain and strengthen New Zealand’s relationship with China.

deputy director, Confucius Institutes Office, Fudan University

Prof. Hu Wenhua

Professor Hu Wenhua is the deputy director of Fudan’s Confucius Institutes Office, and a professor of the International Cultural Exchange School of Fudan University. Her research fields include accient Chinese characters, teaching of Chinese characters, and international Chinese language education.

Director, Global Partnerships Office/Confucius Institutes Office, Fudan University

Prof. Lu Li’an

Professor Lu Li’an is the director of Fudan’s Global Partnerships Office and Confucius Institutes Office, and a professor of English literature.

Dean, International Cultural Exchange School, Fudan University

Prof. Luo Jianbo

Professor Luo Jianbo is the Dean of the International Cultural Exchange School of Fudan University, His research fields include Chinese classical literature, Chinese classical literary theory, and international Chinese language education.