We have always believed people are the key to sustainable growth and development
Meet the Team
Shaun Wellbourne-Wood
CEO and Principal Researcher
Shaun has been working on education, and human and social development projects for almost 30 years. As he reflects on his career, Shaun credits his diverse academic background, and extensive global experiences for the development of a unique skill set for leading expert teams to develop innovative solutions to global challenges. Shaun is primarily based in Indonesia but has previously lived, studied, or worked on projects in Australia, Botswana, Mauritius, France, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, Malaysia, Japan, Zambia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Thailand.
Shaun initially completed undergraduate studies in literature and philosophy at the University of Western Australia (UWA), and also earned a first class honors degree in education and industrial engineering design at Edith Cowan University (ECU). He received the University Medal and Valedictorian for outstanding scholarship, and the highest GPA of the graduating year of more than 2500 students. He received a full PhD scholarship and lectureship and located to Botswana, Africa to undertake social ethnographic research on science and technology education, policy, and learner experiences. He continued to work in Botswana, Mauritius, and Seychelles on UN / World Bank funded programs to upgrade the qualification of science and technology teachers in small nation states. Shaun returned to worked for ten years at the University of Western Australia. He was the Associate Dean (International) in the Faculty of Science and concurrently the Director of the International Science for our Future Festival – working alongside Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall and other exceptional scientists and science communicators on promoting science to more than 50,000 students throughout Southeast Asia.
Shaun moved to Indonesia in 2012 to launch Saksara, and has concurrently held senior positions as the ASEAN Representative of the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN), and was Dean ASEAN at Curtin University up until 2023. Shaun is currently consulting as a Senior Applied Research Specialist with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) – working on economic value chain analysis across diverse industry sectors, innovation ecosystem development, energy storage and renewable energy projects, and strategic national semiconductor development.
The guiding principles of Shaun’s career and leadership of Saksara is a commitment to curiosity, scholarship, operational excellence, and creative and innovative thinking. He has embedded within Saksara, the concept of temporary truth – an essential posture in keeping our team humble and constantly curious to better understand the world and its challenges. We anticipate change, new knowledge, and better solutions. Shaun love’s meandering in new places, dusty bookstores in ancient cities, and being surrounded by the family and friends that he values more than all else.
Arlina Suryani
Director
Arlina began her career with the international consulting and auditing firm Arthur Andersen before transitioning to an event management company, where she focused on multinational corporate events and managed press releases and copywriting. She later shifted to international education, building an extensive career across Indonesia and Australia.
Arlina played a key role in establishing Jakarta International College, an Indonesian partner of Monash College and the Monash Foundation Year program, where she served as the inaugural Marketing and Admissions Manager from 2002 to 2007. She then moved into the education advising and consultancy sector, becoming General Manager of Sri Lankan operations for one of India’s largest international education advisory service companies, overseeing more than 17 branches. After returning to Indonesia, Arlina co-owned and directed an education advisory and consultancy firm in Bandung.
In 2011, Arlina joined The University of Western Australia (UWA) as the Coordinator for the International Science for Our Future Festival in Singapore and Indonesia, and later within the Office of International Affairs, specializing in global admissions.
Arlina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and a Master’s Degree in Marketing. Her love for books with historical and cultural themes stems from an early admiration and fascination for the works of Pearl S. Buck and Amy Tan.
Dinda Larasati
Senior Research and Projects Coordinator
Dinda is an Economics graduate from Parahyangan Catholic University. She began her career with a social entrepreneurship company dedicated to preserving Indonesia’s hand-woven textile heritage, collaborating with artisans in Mamasa, Toraja, Lembata, and Adonara. Her work included community empowerment initiatives, such as organizing sewing workshops for housewives, as well as cultural heritage programs, including the Asian Textile Exhibition at the Jakarta Textile Museum.
Since joining Saksara in 2018, Dinda has contributed to research projects focusing around human capital development, international education, and economic value chains. She has also coordinated impactful programs, such as professional development workshops and international higher education initiatives, including the Inspiring International Research Excellence Symposium hosted by the Australian Technology Network and student exchanges and industry placements funded by the Australian government’s New Colombo Plan.
More recently, Dinda organized the International Energy Storage Symposium on behalf of Curtin University, promoting collaboration in energy storage and the energy transition. She also coordinated the Urban Futures Leadership Academy, facilitating knowledge-sharing sessions on sustainable smart city development while working alongside esteemed institutions like the Asian Development Bank and Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities.
Outside her professional endeavors, Dinda enjoys experimental baking and traveling.
Meivy Andriani Larasati
Research Associate
Meivy graduated with a bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology from Universitas Gadjah Mada. Her career as a researcher formally started when she had an internship as a Qualitative Researcher at a market research agency in Jakarta, where she learned to assist in project management, coordinate with clients and team members, as well as moderate focus group discussions for beauty, finance, and e-commerce products.
Since 2023, she has been working with Saksara, contributing to research on energy, skills, sustainable development, etc. Her work mostly revolves around creating briefs, spreadsheets, and presentations, for which she performs a variety of manuscript-related tasks, including copy editing, translating, formatting, and managing references. She has supported the administrative and logistical tasks for the International Energy Storage Symposium in 2023 and the Urban Futures Leadership Academy in 2024.
A firm believer in lifelong learning, Meivy finds joy in studying and volunteering with communities of interest in the fields of food politics and gender justice. Her contributions span from co-organizing public programs to managing publications.