Who's Who
Dr. Mike McCluskey
Chief Executive Officer
Mike’s career in radio broadcasting spans 25 years as a rural reporter, radio presenter and executive producer. He has worked in senior executive roles in ABC Local Radio, including managing the corporation’s Sydney and Newcastle stations and as the State Director of the ABC in New South Wales. His Asia Pacific experience includes work as an international advisor on the redevelopment of the National Broadcasting Corporation in Papua New Guinea and completion of a doctorate on media and cultural change in Bhutan.
Damien Dempsey
Digital Editor
Damien manages the interactive services for Radio Australia and Australia Network TV. He first took on the role of managing Radio Australia Online in 1999, having worked for the network in various technical and editorial roles since 1989. Damien has worked, studied and traveled extensively throughout Asia and the Pacific. He has a Master of Business Administration degree from Swinburne University in Melbourne.
Hanh Tran
Asia Content Manager
Hanh was the CEO of Radio Australia from 2007 to 2010, having been Executive Producer of the Vietnamese Service from 2005 to 2007 and 1993 to 1996. In the intervening years he was head of the Vietnamese Section at the BBC World Service. Hanh holds a BSc from the Australian National University, and has studied media at Canberra University.
Ryan Egan
Pacific Content Manager
Ryan joined the ABC in 1999, having started his radio career in the community sector, as a manager and Australian music presenter. Since then he has worked in many parts of the organisation, in a variety of technical and production roles. Recently Ryan was the presenter of our Tech Stream program, which focused on technology stories from the region. He has also been involved in outside broadcasts for Radio Australia in Fiji, Vanuatu, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Samoa, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Barry Taylor
Business Manager
Barry has been employed with the ABC for over 20 years and with Radio Australia for 13 years. He has worked in various administrative roles, including finance, human resources and with domestic radio. Barry is currently responsible for our budgeting and resources.
John Westland
Head of Content Distribution
Partnerships manager since 2004. Prior to that John was the Executive Producer of English Language Programs, having been Presenter and Executive Producer of the 'Network Asia' and 'Dateline' current affairs programs. He also worked as a Producer on the 'Indian Pacific' program and has spent time in China on exchange with Radio Beijing and Vietnam with an Asialink fellowship.
Nigel Holmes
Transmission Manager
Nigel is responsible for the network's transmission systems including shortwave broadcasts, satellite platforms and local re-broadcasts from relay partner stations. Nigel has been with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in a technical capacity since 1982.
Mark Hemetsberger
Head of Marketing & Communications
Previously Mark worked for the Commonwealth Business Council and Commonwealth Business Publications in England. He has also lived and worked in Germany, Malta, Spain and Italy and has experience working for a leading Australian internet service provider.
Lili Tu
Executive Producer, Vietnamese Service
Lili joined Radio Australia’s Vietnamese Service in 2007 as educational editor on the website, Bay Vut. She has broad experience developing online services, both through her work with international students in Australia and as the head of marketing for an international trade company. Lili holds a degree in Multimedia from Melbourne’s RMIT University.
Seda Douglas
Executive Producer, Khmer Service
Seda Douglas has worked as a broadcaster with Radio Australia since the Khmer language service's inception in 1992. Prior to this, Seda worked as a community health educator with various health agencies in Australia and in a refugee camp in Thailand, where she was herself a resident. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma of Asian Studies and a Master of Development Studies from Monash University, Melbourne.
Pierre Riant
Executive Producer, French Service
Pierre is a bilingual journalist and a translator. A member of our French broadcast team from 1983 until 1997, Pierre returned to Radio Australia in 2005 to take charge of a new French news service, 24H in the Pacific. He has travelled extensively throughout the forever exciting Pacific region for the past 25 years and has met an array of interesting and sometimes extraordinary people. Pierre is a Winner of two Pater awards for professional excellence in arts, radio, television and sciences and has studied semantics and semiology.
Hidayat Djajamihardja
Executive Producer, Indonesian Service
Hidayat joined Radio Australia's Jakarta office as a local journalist during which he covered major political, economic and social changes in Indonesia. He also covered military operations in Aceh, East Timor, West Kalimantan and West Papua. He moved to Australia in 1969 and joined the Indonesian Service as a journalist and broadcaster.
Pearson Vetuna
Executive Producer, Tok Pisin Service
Pearson ikam long Rabaul, East New Britain Province. Em stat wantem ABC long PNG long 1967 na bihain joinim NBC taim dispela niupla PNG nesanel brodkasta I kirap long 1973. Em joinim Radio Australia long 1985. Bikpla tingting blong em, em long mekim Radio Australia ikamap bikpla Tok Pisin brodkasta long Pasifik rijen. Em isave produsim Nius na Karent Afeas.
Khin Mar Win (Cheri Mangrai)
Producer, Burmese Service
First producer and presenter for the Burmese service in 2009. Prior to joining Radio Australia, Cheri was a journalist with a number of international broadcasters as well as Australia’s SBS. She was a Project Manager for the Sydney Media Centre during the 2000 Olympics and a Production Manager for and other children’s programs on ABC TV. Cheri is a recognised NAATI Translator and Interpreter.
