Authors

Trau Pakaruku Sawma is a Pinuyumayan cultural and political leader. He was a signatory to the 1999 'A New Partnership Between the Indigenous Peoples and the Government of Taiwan,' signed between representatives of Indigenous leaders and then-presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian, who became president the following year.

In 2012, Trau helped found the Taiwan First Nations Party dedicated to promoting the rights of all Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan.

Dr. Kanako Uzawa is an Ainu scholar, artist, and rights advocate in Japan. She is the founder of AinuToday, a global online platform that delivers living Ainu culture and people. She is an Assistant Professor for the Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity at Hokkaido University. Her most recent work engages with Ainu art exhibitions, as a guest curator in collaboration with the University of Michigan Museum of Art in the United States, as an associated researcher at the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo in Norway, and as an editorial board member of AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. 

Raylene Whitford is a Cree-Métis finance professional with a well-established career in the international energy industry. She is a member of the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board and the founder of INDIGI-X, a global network of Indigenous changemakers. 

A former equity partner of Deloitte Canada, Raylene is the chair of TC Energy’s Indigenous Advisory Council and a Director of Canative Energy. Her previous leadership positions include directing a company listed on the London Stock Exchange and leading a C$42-billion capital efficiency project for an integrated energy company in the Middle East. Raylene is a Chartered Accountant and has an MBA from the Aberdeen Business School in the U.K. She is currently completing an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Indigenous Studies and Business at the University of Alberta. Raylene is a proud member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. 

Tae Yeon Eom is a Research Scholar at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. When not delving into his APF Canada research on South Korea’s diverse ESG-related challenges or opportunities and the ties between Canada and South Korea, he journeys through time and space in the office, reflecting on and writing about the intricacies of Northeast Asia.

Prerana Das is Junior Research Scholar with APF Canada's South Asia team. She is a researcher and documentary filmmaker with a particular interest in stories of migration and processes of displacement in northeast India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Her work focuses on the relationships between political ecology, ethno-nationalism, colonialism, and gendered resistance among agrarian communities.

Karen Hui is a Junior Research Scholar with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada's Greater China Team. With a master's degree in sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, she specializes in policy and academic research related to social development from critical perspectives, especially labour, social movements, public health, and supply chain.

Shruti Jhunjhunwala is a Research Scholar with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s International Trade and Investment Team. She holds an MSc in International Business from HEC Montreal. Her research interests include private-public partnerships as well as inclusive and sustainable trade.

Xuemeng Wang is a Research Scholar within the International Trade and Investment team at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Concurrently, she is in the final stage of completing her master’s degree in International Studies at Simon Fraser University. Her academic pursuits primarily revolve around the examination of socio-economic development, addressing the challenges in this domain, and advocating for the advancement of social equality and sustainable development practices.

Dr. Scott Harrison is Senior Program Manager, Northeast Asia, with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

Jamie Cin Yee Leung is a Post-Graduate Research Scholar at APF Canada. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, she conducted her master’s degree research on Chinese cyberliterature at the University of B.C. Her research interests include East Asian popular culture, youth movements, and online fandoms of women’s subcultures.