Helping build a more just society

From leading Australia’s peak body for young people to challenging world leaders on inequality at the World Economic Forum, lawyer and BGS Old Boy Alan Wu ’01 has been a lifelong champion for a more just and inclusive society.

“I’m the proud son of migrant parents from China and Africa, who knew firsthand the transformative power of education,” Wu said. “I owe them so much for raising me with that same appreciation.”

Like so many new Australians, Wu’s parents were drawn to Australia’s promise of opportunity – the idea that you can go as far as your hard work will take you.

Wu said his upbringing, together with the impact of his BGS education, led him towards a life fighting for social justice.

“I had a great time at Brisbane Grammar School,” he said. “It was the most intensive period of emotional and intellectual development I think I’ve had.”

“So many teachers made a lasting impact on the way I understand the world and my responsibilities to my community.”

Wu is the newly appointed Chair of international development agency Oaktree, and serves on the boards of racial justice initiative Democracy in Colour and LGBTQIA+ mentoring organisation Out for Australia.

But success wasn’t a given. A strong student at BGS, and the 2016 Young Alumnus of the Year at the Australian National University, where he completed postgraduate study, Wu had a tough time in his first degree.

“I was on the verge of being kicked out,” he said. “I had come out as gay, and hadn't yet found a place to fit in. In the midst of depression, having failed subject after subject, I fronted up to the academic board to make the case not to terminate my enrolment for unsatisfactory progress. I took eight years to get through the course.”

“I know epiphanies where one realises one’s calling make for great stories, but that never happened for me. My pathway was unspectacular, and driven by the same, quiet things that surely drive most folks who are involved in their community: a recognition that we each have the opportunity and capacity to contribute to work that matters; a desire to be more connected to our communities; and a hope that together, we can make them better.”

Wu is committed to working towards ensuring the promise of opportunity is available to everyone.

“Thanks to generations who’ve come before us, we’ve made magnificent progress towards building a future we can all share,” he said.

“But this important work is unfinished. Because for too many of us, that promise remains beyond reach.”

“That’s why, throughout my work, I’ve tried to help build a community where everyone has the power to make decisions that matter.”

Wu recently retired as the longest-serving member of the Board of Directors of Oxfam Australia – dedicating 11 years to the organisation. He is also a senior regional coordinator with the Open Government Partnership, a multilateral project to make governments more inclusive and accountable.

Previously, Wu served as Chair of Australia’s peak body for young people, where he led the successful campaign to re-establish a federal Minister for Youth position. Internationally, as Special Envoy for Young People to the Executive Director of the UN Environment Program, Wu helped develop the agency’s youth engagement strategy, one of the first in the United Nations system.

While serving on the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, he delivered Australia’s first statement on youth participation to the UNESCO General Conference. After attending the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland in 2015, Wu was asked to help grow the Forum’s Global Shapers Community, which supports young changemakers across the world. In 2019, he was named an Obama Foundation Leader.