Career summary

Olivia is an accomplished partnerships and engagement professional with over a decade of experience spanning philanthropy, the arts, media, and cultural industries. She is currently Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, building impactful relationships with corporate partners to support vital healthcare initiatives. Previously with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Olivia drove significant growth in corporate partnerships, philanthropic support, and Asian audience engagement through innovative programs and high-profile events. With a strong background in marketing, media, and international arts management, Olivia brings a unique blend of creativity, cultural insight, and strategic relationship-building to every role.

Career pathway

2025 - Corporate Partnerships Manager, The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation,  Melbourne

2024 - Corporate Partnerships Manager, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

2023 - East meets West Engagement  Lead, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

2020 – Corporate Partnerships Coordinator, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
2018 – Marketing Coordinator/Bilingual TV Show Host, 8TV Australia
2018 – Graduated from Master of Communication and Media Studies, Monash University
2014 – Coordinator, Artist Management, Wanda Cultural Industry Group
2013 – Marketing Administrative Assistant, Wanda Cultural Industry Group
2012 – Bachelor of Music Performance, Guizhou Institute for Nationalities

Why did you choose to come to Melbourne and study at Monash?

I chose Monash because it is a Group of 8 University and it has a high reputation in China. Also, I chose Melbourne over other cities because I find Melbourne more artistic. I loved the different cultural experiences in Melbourne - the street artists, the singing, the dancing, and the coffee is amazing!

I wanted to learn a major related to media. I knew it would be a challenge for me because English is not my first language. When I came to Monash, I took a bridging course at the language school to learn more English.

What was your career before you came to Australia?

I studied a Bachelor of Music Performance and had four years of work experience in the entertainment industry. I went to Beijing and joined Wanda Cultural Industry Group. I worked as a show manager, leading a group of artists on tour through different cities. I was transferred to Wuhan to work for a different brand of Wanda Group. In this role, a lot of people I met were expats who didn’t speak Mandarin. I didn’t speak English at this stage, so that’s when I decided to learn English, because we needed to communicate with each other. If I didn’t have that experience, I may never have been pushed to move and study overseas.

What has your career looked like since studying your master’s degree?

After I graduated, my first job was with 8TV Australia, working on the program ‘A Place We Call Home’. 8TV Australia runs a small television studio that creates Australian content to be broadcast in mainland China. My job was to find materials that make interesting stories and create the episodes. The program is called ‘A Place We Call Home’ because a lot of Chinese people come to Australia and think their home is still in China. But if you choose Australia, then Australia is your home. You need to feel like you belong.

An example of one of the projects was when I wanted to create an episode about Indigenous culture, because I believe most Chinese people don’t understand that the Indigenous Australians are the traditional owners of the land.

As a media person, I believed I had the responsibility to let more people know about Indigenous Australian stories. I wanted to film inside the Melbourne Museum’s Indigenous section to help tell the history of the Indigenous people.

I had to speak with a staff member to get permission to film and publish the video. The person I spoke to was Museums Victoria's Marketing and Development Manager of Asia. I explained to her that I didn’t think the majority of Chinese knew about Indigenous Australians’ history and experience and she was glad to help me. We became great friends after that, and knowing my background and passion about music, she introduced me to a key stakeholder of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, whom later on presented me with a job opportunity to work as Corporate Partnerships Coordinator.

What does your role with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra involve?

I’m the Corporate Partnerships Coordinator. Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is running a great program called ‘East Meets West’. The program includes a variety of different exciting concert series, such as the Lunar New Year concerts, where they invite Asian artists to come to Australia and perform with our musicians. My role is building strong cultural and business connections across Asia for the MSO and developing opportunities for multicultural engagement.

I joined the MSO in March of 2020. I worked with my colleagues for just two weeks before we had to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been really challenging but I’ve learnt a lot in this period. Despite the physical distance, I feel we collaborate well together and have a great work environment. We have worked with each other to complete projects one after another and we firmly believe that we can overcome the challenges of the current climate.

What skills did you gain from your studies at Monash?

The last semester of my degree was my favourite because we did practical work and group tasks. I learnt skills including using a camera, editing videos and presenting on both radio and television. These practical courses were really fun, and the campus provided all the facilities and equipment. I learnt a lot from these courses that I used in my job as a TV host.

In my industry project unit APG5742, each group worked with an Australian organisation on a project. My team worked with the Lort Smith Animal Hospital to develop a marketing campaign. It was a great experience. We would take the train from Monash together as a team and spend time at Lort Smith with the animals. It’s a great program that helps Australian organisations and helps the students. I benefitted hugely from this insight into how Australian organisations operate.

What skills have you gained from working in Australia?

I’m learning new skills in my role with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. I do project planning and management. Communication skills are a big part of my job, because my work involves talking with people internally and externally.

The way that Australians work is so different to the way Chinese people work. For example, in China we rarely use emails – we use WeChat for almost everything, but in Australia, emails are more official and professional.

Also, in business meetings in China there is a strict order in which everyone speaks, starting with the CEO. In Australia, I’ve found meetings are quite flexible and people can just jump in and talk. You can express yourself to state your ideas and you don’t have to be scared of talking out of turn. I’m still learning about the Australian workplace!

What advice would you give to students considering coming to Australia to study at Monash?

Being bilingual has helped me enormously because I can speak to the Chinese market and the Australian market. A lot of Chinese students are scared to speak in English in Australia because they’re worried about their accent or they’re not sure if people will understand them. Many of my Australian friends and colleagues I speak with give me great feedback because they are impressed that I can speak two languages! Not everyone can do that. I will always have my accent but that’s nothing to be embarrassed about – I am proud of my identity. Just be brave and express yourself.