About JA Asia Pacific
JA Asia Pacific is a member of JA Worldwide, one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship. JA Asia Pacific contributes towards a world in which young people have the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities. We work towards this vision by advocating for experiential learning in schools in the region, and by nurturing partnerships with schools and other like-minded organizations. We envision a world in which no young person is left behind.
As Asia Pacific is home to 60% of the world’s youth, JA Asia Pacific aims to empower young people to benefit from and contribute to the region’s economic development and to create a positive impact in their lives and communities.
Operating across 14 countries and territories, the Junior Achievement network in the Asia Pacific region equips young people with the employment and entrepreneurship skillsets and mindsets they need to succeed. By building abilities and nurturing self-belief, JA prepares youth for the future of work, ensures they have the tools to be financially capable adults, and teaches them to think entrepreneurially. Supported by nearly 66,200 volunteers, and reaching nearly 5 million students in 2025, JA Asia Pacific is one of few organizations with the scale, experience, and passion to build a brighter future for the next generation of global innovators, entrepreneurs, makers, and managers. As a member of JA Worldwide, our global network consists of more than half a million volunteers, delivering more than 23 million learning experiences in over 120 countries and territories each year.
For 105 years, JA has delivered hands-on, experiential learning in work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. We create pathways for employability, job creation and financial success. JA inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy.
Impact
Across the globe, JA impacts the lives of over 23 million young people in 2025. In the 14 localities within the Asia Pacific region, passionate staff from JA Members have unparalleled access to schools, creating an ecosystem of hands-on programs driven by volunteers, teachers, policymakers, and the private sector. In addition to maintaining deep relationships with our funders, we’re forging partnerships with high-tech start-ups, universities, and like-minded NGOs, giving even more students the opportunity to benefit from JA’s learning experiences. The result in Asia Pacific alone is over 41,000,000 student-contact hours and nearly 5 million student experiences in 2025.
Our programs serve a variety of young people - from children to youth ages 5 to 29; with a variety of needs - including communities with low access and/or poor outcomes to education and livelihoods; from a wide geographical span- rural as well as urban; in a variety of school systems - from public schools to private schools. JA programs produce students who are curious, creative, self-confident, resilient, and determined to build a better life.
A testament to this are JA’s 150 million living alumni throughout the world, who continue to do good and serve wherever they are. Some of our alumni start businesses that serve social needs, solve local problems, or work on inspiring others to reach their potential; some donate their time and/or money to their communities; others volunteer and mentor to give back to the next generation of young people.
The impact of JA’s learning experiences goes beyond the lives of individual students. For over 100 years, JA has operated all over the world, even in areas of political instability, violence, and war, ready to help students through the unemployment, poverty, and hopelessness that stem from such conditions. By helping youth develop the employment and entrepreneurial tools to find meaningful work and start sustainable companies, JA serves as conduit for peace and prosperity. Through JA, young people are equipped with the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities.
At JA, impact is celebrated in all forms - from time spent on programs to individuals who incubate social movements. Our efforts have been recognised with global awards such as the one of the ten most-impactful social-good organizations in the world (listed for the fourth-straight year) by the dot good, Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators as the top nonprofit on the list, the Tony Hsieh Award for leadership through empowerment, and for the fourth year in a row this year - a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of our role in furthering global peace and prosperity throughout the last century, often in parts of the world marked by political instability, violence, and war. This list only scratches the surface of the awards and recognitions in the JA network, with hundreds more at the regional, national, and local levels.
Reports
JA Global Impact Report, 2023
JA Worldwide Factbook, 2024
JA Worldwide Impact & Insight Report, April 2026
JA Worldwide Annual Report, 2024
Board of Directors
The JA Asia Pacific Regional Operating Center (ROC) has a diverse and highly dynamic Board of Directors, comprised of business leaders spanning various sectors and leading companies in the region. The Board collaborates with the JA Asia Pacific team to outline strategic direction and priorities for the region. JA Asia Pacific's current Board of Directors is comprised of the following members:
PG Raghuraman
(Board Chair)
Managing Director & Lead - Quality for Growth Markets,
Accenture
Asheesh Advani
President and Chief Executive Officer,
JA Worldwide
Stephen Barnham
Group Chief Digital and Information Officer,
Dai-ichi Life Group
Gloria Xu
China Country Manager and VP External Affairs,
Albemarle
Rodrigo Kede Lima
President,
Microsoft Asia
Dr. Haroon Latif Khan
Managing Director, Hamid Latif Hospital
CEO, Life Pvt Ltd
Director, Rashid Latif Medical College
Sui Yang, Phang
Managing Partner,
Dragon Capital Group
Salil Chari
President,
FedEx Asia Pacific
Thada Savestila
Advisor,
True Corporation
Asia Pacific AI Council
Stephen Barnham
Group Chief Digital and Information Officer,
Dai-ichi Life Group
Sam Majid
CEO, National AI Office,
Government of Malaysia
Gowri Ishwaran
Educationist, Padma Shri, Vice Chairperson,
tGELF
Amit Gupta
Group CEO, Ecosystm
Advisor to New Zealand Government
Ex-Global Chair, TiE
Dr Kessara Amornvuthivorn
Director,
Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) STEM ED
Abhijit Gosh
Managing Director, SEA, Alvarez & Marsal
Board Member, AVPN
Vice Chairman, Board of Languages, Singapore Ministry of Education
Senior Leadership Team
Vivek Kumar
President and CEO,
JA Asia Pacific
Adnan Bokhari
Chief Financial Officer,
JA Asia Pacific
Joshua Miller
Executive Director,
JA Guam
Dinu Raheja
Executive Director,
tGELF/JA India
Yoriko Kuroki
Executive Director - Operations,
JA Japan
Shanthi Kanthaswamy
Executive Director,
JA Malaysia
Krishna Alejandrino
Executive Director,
JA Philippines
M.L Pariyada Diskul
Executive Director,
JA Thailand
Kirk Kenny
Chief Operating Officer,
JA Asia Pacific
Sophie Wong
Executive Director,
JA China
Vivian Choi
Executive Director,
Hong Kong SAR-China
Utami Anita Herawati
Executive Director,
Prestasi Junior Indonesia
Sunah Lee
Executive Director,
JA Korea
Hassan Pagganwala
Executive Director,
JA Pakistan
Hau Yee Ng
Executive Director,
JA Singapore
Ayna Bayramova
Executive Director,
JA Turkmenistan
Honorary Advisors to President & CEO of JA Asia Pacific
Regional Operating Centre
Regional Operations Director
Regional Development Director
Regional Operations Coordinator
Regional Communications and Marketing Director
Regional Development Manager
Executive Office Manager
Partners
The JA Experiential Education Model
JA delivers its education programs through volunteers from all sectors of society who bring real-life work experience to the training and work closely with students in a mentorship capacity to create a truly experiential model that is focused on practical, and not just theoretical, results.
Young people
Educators
Businesses
JA serves as the nexus between the private sector, public sector and young people. We connect companies, organizations and individuals who wish to be involved in the youth economic development movement.
Our partners enable us to effectively execute our mission. In turn, we enable our partners to collaborate in addressing socio-economic priorities, such as youth unemployment and enterprise creation.
Whether through financial contributions, Board participation, classroom or virtual volunteering, JA offers a collective ability to execute youth empowerment programs that create a lasting, positive impact on the lives of young people.
Sponsors
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