Michael Payer Email & Phone Number

Suva, Central, Fiji

Co-producer and Director of Fiji's first-ever Broadway musical theatre production. Assembled and led a team of 80+ creatives, cast and technicians to build a show from scratch, nurturing local talent and engaging community, business and government. Sold-out season with critical acclaim.

The Delegation of the European Union for the Pacific is the diplomatic and consular mission for the EU accredited to 13 Pacific island countries and 3 Overseas Territories of EU Member States.As Policy Officer in the Political, Trade and Communications Section my responsibilities include:▪ Coordination of the EU's repatriation response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pacific, overseeing 12 repatriation flights for 1000 European citizens of 30 different nationalities (and dependants from another 18 different nationalities) stranded in 11 different Pacific island countries.▪ COVID-19 focal point for the EU in the Pacific▪ Human rights focal point for the EU in the Pacific▪ Coordinator of EU public diplomacy initiatives in the Pacific▪ Producer of the annual European Film Festival in the Pacific

Brussels Area, Belgium

Selected from 1200 applicants as a Young European Ambassador as part of the ‘Young European Neighbours’ network to improve communication and engagement between young people from the EU Member States and Eastern partner countries. As a Young European Ambassador I have:▪ Organised, overseen and participated in public events (e.g. EaP Pub Quiz in Brussels)▪ Represented EU NEIGHBOURS east and the OPEN NEIGHBOURHOOD programme at events such as DG NEAR/DG DEVCO Cooperation Days and European Youth Week at the European Parliament.I have also been selected to participate in the Annual Conference of the Eastern Partnership in Vienna (Dec 2018) the EaP 10th Anniversary High-level Conference (May 2019) and the 4th EaP Youth Forum in Vilnius (Jun 2019) in my capacity as a Young European Ambassador.

Brussels Area, Belgium

‘EU NEIGHBOURS east’ is the EU-funded communications project for the Eastern Partnership responsible to DG NEAR, the EEAS and the EU Delegations to the Eastern partner countries. As Regional Focal Point for the ‘Young European Ambassadors’ (YEAs) network I coordinate the network of nearly 500 active young people from the 6 Eastern partner countries and the 28 EU Member States. My role also engages me with the project’s other tasks, including policy research, events planning, publications, social media management and reporting.Responsibilities in my role include:▪ Coordinating high-level, international events such as ‘EaP 10th Anniversary Launch Event’ attended by 100 participants and EU officials (e.g. Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis), including guest travel arrangements (flights, visas, accommodation etc.) – usually to extremely short deadlines▪ Overseeing Young European Ambassadors events across the region, in concert with EU Delegations▪ Developing and maintaining relations with high-level EU officials and stakeholders on policy objectives and outcomes▪ Daily management of the ‘Young European Ambassadors’ initiative (~500) and ‘Young European Neighbours’ network (4,800+ members)▪ Designed and oversaw recruitment process for new YEAs, resulting in over 1,100 applications from 34 countries▪ Developed and implemented training communication series for Young European Ambassadors▪ Re-designing and successfully implementing Application Procedure for Young European Ambassadors▪ Reporting on project events and campaigns, and overall Progress Reporting (per EU guidelines)▪ Visual communications, document production (e.g. factsheets), website management and graphic design — including Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator etc.▪ Social media management of official EU NEIGHBOURS east channels

Sydney, Australia

In 2017-18 I re-designed and oversaw the largest ever participation in the Faculty’s flagship Mentoring Program, encompassing 1200 students including over 200 Mentors. The Program involves rigorous leadership training for Mentors, an ‘Orientation and Welcome Day’ attended by over 1200 students and involving over 52 staff, as well as a 6-week Mentoring Program. The Program involved:▪ Supervised management of Program and event budgets of small and large scale▪ Consulting and coordinating 52 high-level academic and professional staff from across the University’s most diverse Faculty for training and ‘Orientation and Welcome Day’ activities▪ Designing and delivering a total of 6 Mentor leadership training sessions (200-400 students)▪ Coordinating and implementing marketing and recruitment strategy▪ Designing and implementing 2 new ‘tailored streams’ of the Program to cater for international and high-achieving students. (International Mentoring Program and Dalyell Mentoring Program)▪ Individually matching first year students to Mentors▪ Surveying and collating feedback from participants▪ Reporting on progress and results▪ Developing and implementing new logistical systems (e.g. digital registration and ticketing systems)▪ Briefing of high-level academic staff and Faculty management on targets, events and strategyIn 2018 the newly-designed Mentoring Program was awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Educational Excellence.

Sydney, Australia

ArtSS Career-Ready is a unique paid placement program in Australia, offering Faculty students paid work contracts with some of Australia’s most prestigious employers during their studies. These include Government departments (e.g. NSW Procurement, City of Sydney), Corporate Partners (e.g. KPMG, Allianz, PwC, Accenture) and NGOs (e.g. ACON, Australian Network on Disability).Tasks included:▪ Supervised implementation of Program and event budgets on a small and medium scale▪ Building and maintaining contacts with government and business partners for Program events and placement opportunities▪ Planning and coordinating Program events with high-level members of Academic staff, and corporate and government partners (e.g. professional fora, student briefings from employers, corporate networking events)▪ Managing and coordinating placement advertising and applications through social and University media, including shortlisting candidates (approx. 200 applications)▪ Procuring partner representatives for participation in program events (incl. professional fora and info sessions)▪ Contacting partner employers and placement students for updates on progress▪ Collecting and reporting on feedback from participantsArtSS Career-Ready was shortlisted for the 2017 QS International ‘Reimagine Education’ Award for Nurturing Employability, as well as a Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Educational Excellence in 2018.

Sydney, Australia

The Student Affairs and Engagement office is responsible for coordinating the Faculty’s student programs, including extra-curricular opportunities, support and academic advice. In a team of 6 we implemented and contributed to the definition of the University’s and Faculty’s strategies on ‘student experience’ through research and student engagement programs. As the University’s largest and most diverse Faculty these roles required specific analysis and targeted responses.As a Student Affairs and Engagement Officer I was responsible for:▪ Supervised management of Program and procurement budgets at a small and large scale▪ Developing, overseeing and reporting on the Faculty’s ongoing student programs▪ Analysing University and Faculty policy proposals, and contributing policy suggestions to protect and enhance the ‘student experience’ for students under the policies (incl. 2017 Curriculum overhaul and 2018-2023 Faculty Strategic Plan)▪ Reporting on and briefing Faculty and University-wide management and committees on objectives and progress in student programs▪ Assisting student groups and leaders in developing and running student-led initiatives▪ Fielding student administration enquiries and offering advice (e.g. on degree progression)▪ Responding with compassion and directing student enquiries of a personal and sensitive nature▪ Designing marketing and communications materials, including newsletters, social media campaigns and print publications▪ Proof-reading and quality control of Faculty publications (both print and digital)

Sydney, Australia

I worked in the European Studies Program, co-designing a new unit of study on the Eurovision Song Contest. With my focused interest on Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest, the unit examines the political and cultural history of Europe through the lens of Eurovision, a vehicle of soft power in Europe and a barometer of its political crises.My specific duties included:▪ Curating significant aspects of European history, culture and society into distinct categories for a 14-week course▪ Researching study areas and building the course structure in a sensible, comprehensive sequence▪ Sourcing and collating research materials for students to accompany their lessons in the course ▪ Design and build the course website to accompany students as the main ongoing point of contact between academic staff and students.▪ Designing assessment tasks for students as part of the course, testing their engagement with the unit and course content▪ Contributing to class discussions

Plumpton, Australia

As an International Travel Consultant for Flight Centre Ltd. (Australia's largest travel retailer) I was reponsible for the management of my own client portfolio, as well as the maintenance of my own budget. This position involved both administrative and research tasks, ensuring our customer service aligned with international protocols and systems governing the international travel and tourist sector.▪ Management of payment audits, account ledgers and invoicing▪ Contribution to, and monitoring of office budgets and financial targets▪ Coordinating amongst wholesalers to produce complex, bespoke client packages▪ Researching and adhering to international visa, regulation and ticketing protocol▪ Working to simultaneous business and client targets and deadlines▪ Sales and Customer Service▪ Product Research▪ Data processing, including international visa applications and official requests

Sydney, Australia

Tasks included:▪ Briefing clients on ROI and advertising content in Bauer publications▪ Verifying advertising products against scheduled releases in client portfolios▪ Research of clients' products and corporate brands▪ Secretarial and administrative duties

Bachelor'S Degree, Government, International Relations And European Studies

Subjects included: French Language, Institutions of the European Union, Terrorism & Organised Crime, Divided Societies, African Politics.

Government, International Relations And European Studies

Exchange semester at Trinity College, Dublin as part of my degree from the University of Sydney. Subjects included: Democracy &.

Government, International Relations And European Studies

Exchange semester at the University of Helsinki as part of my degree from the University of Sydney. Subjects included: Security.

Penrith Anglican College: International Baccalaureate, 43 (Atar 99.65)

DUX of the College, 2012 College Captain, 2011-2012 DUX of Junior School, 2006 Subjects: 20th Century World History HL (6), French ab.

International Baccalaureate, High School/Secondary Diplomas And Certificates