Esther Chang: why regional challenges need regional solutions

Across Asia and the Pacific, many of today’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to early childhood development to social inequality, extend beyond borders and sectors. For Esther Chang, CEO of Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC), addressing these complex issues requires collaboration, local knowledge and a shared commitment to long-term change. 

APC brings individual philanthropists together to learn from one another and work across the region, often on emerging initiatives with few or no existing models. Its Asian-led, Asia-focused approach highlights the importance of local relationships, contextual understanding and peer networks. APC operates in the catalytic layer of the giving ecosystem, helping philanthropists deepen their practice, learn from one another and amplify their impact. 

That approach has helped create pathways for funders to move from shared interest to coordinated action. Examples include Early Childhood Development collaboratives in China and the Philippines, which have helped advance national policy attention and investment in early childhood development, and the Migrant Workers Project, which is piloting a lower-cost, ethical recruitment pathway for Bangladeshi workers entering Singapore.  

Established in 2016 by Laurence Lien and Stanley Tan, APC was created by philanthropists, for philanthropists, with the aim of learning from one another and strengthening giving across Asia. 

“Time and time again, to address some of our most challenging and complex issues, you really need different parties to come to the table and have constructive dialogue about working together. But that isn’t easy,” Esther explains. 

“You need to create the conditions and the space to do that.” 

Across Asia, philanthropy is shaped by local culture, family, faith and community ties, as well as regulatory systems that vary significantly between countries. Giving is often personal and relationship-based, making trusted local knowledge and collaboration essential. 

“This is an Asian-led, Asia-focused network focused on solving problems that are grounded in the realities of the region,” she says. “We want to champion our members to connect with different collaboratives, identify issues they care about and use APC as a platform to find supporters and partners so they can co-design, co-invest and solve problems together.” 

These themes of collaboration, local knowledge and collective action will be central to Esther’s appearance at the Philanthropy Australia Conference 2026 as part of the Our Region, Our Future: Philanthropy in Asia and the Pacific panel. 

Mobilising generosity 

For Esther, the conference theme highlights both urgency and opportunity. 

“Depending on where you are, things can be fairly uncertain. You can be solving climate issues because climate change is literally impacting whether people have a future or not.

“Mobilising generosity speaks to the need to act now, and together, to address the crucial issues of today so we can build a better tomorrow. Who doesn’t want to build a better future?” 

She also sees an important role for future generations of wealth creators and inheritors, and for generosity beyond financial giving. Effective collaboration relies on recognising and combining money, time, expertise, networks, local knowledge and lived experience.

Asia, Australia and regional collaboration 

Many of the issues APC works on transcend borders and create opportunities for shared learning and collaboration, including with Australia. For Esther, the future depends not only on giving more, but on building the capacity, systems and partnerships required for long-term impact. 

“Alignment of purpose is really important. Getting the right people into the room, ensuring objectives are clear, and agreeing on what the collaboration is trying to achieve is critical.” 

“And with that comes commitment. It’s not just a matter of showing up. It’s about putting in the work.” 

As philanthropists across the region grapple with increasingly complex challenges, Esther believes meaningful progress will come through collaboration grounded in trust, local knowledge and a shared commitment to creating a better future. 

Esther Chang will be at the Philanthropy Australia Conference 2026 as part of the Our Region, Our Future: Philanthropy in Asia and the Pacific panel.