PNG youth leader aims for Treasury

Stanley Alphonse has his eyes on a job with Papua New Guinea’s Department of Treasury after winning a national youth leadership award.

The PNG student, who is completing his Masters in Commerce (applied finance) at The University of Queensland, was one of five winners of the Commonwealth Youth Leadership Awards.

The awards were introduced by the Federal Government in 2002 to prepare postgraduate students from developing countries for leadership roles and foster greater regional co-operation.

Mr Alphonse, 27, was invited to Parliament House to receive his award certificate and attended a three-week course at the Australian National University on leadership and management.

He said the course improved his knowledge of motivating people, working with different personalities and the importance of positive organisational cultures.

He grew up in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea before finishing his secondary studies at Townsville Grammar School and graduating from the University of Papua New Guinea with an economics degree.

From 2000 to 2003, he worked as an accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Port Moresby valuing businesses and preparing company floats and liquidations.

He became a manager with Papua New Guinea’s Independent Consumer and Competition Commission before enrolling at UQ.

For more information contact Mr Alphonse on (phone: 0410 383 880, email: s4069411@uq.edu.au) or Miguel Holland at UQ Communications (phone: 3365 2619, m.holland@uq.edu.au)