Foundation names 2026 senior fellows
The Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono is pleased to announce the appointment of its senior fellows for 2026: Dhruva Jaishankar, executive director of the Observer Research Foundation America, and Peter Kell, former senior diplomat and chief operating officer at Obayashi Corporation.
The senior fellows bring extensive Asia expertise, enhancing the Foundation’s capacity to offer insight and commentary on key political, economic and strategic developments across Asia.
Dhruva Jaishankar brings Indian foreign policy expertise, with a particular focus on India’s relations with the Indo-Pacific and the United States.
Peter Kell provides experience from senior postings in Japan, as well as from the Philippines, where he served as New Zealand’s ambassador.
“These appointments reflect the Foundation’s focus on providing high-quality Asia-focused insights for New Zealanders,” says Suzannah Jessep, chief executive of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
“Their expertise and perspectives strengthen the Foundation’s ability to provide independent analysis and help New Zealanders better understand the forces shaping our region.”
Dr Julia MacDonald, director of the Foundation’s research and engagement team, says she looks forward to working with the new fellows and the expertise they will bring to the Foundation’s programmes.
“Their insights will help inform our research and add depth to public conversations about some of New Zealand’s most important international relationships in Asia.”
About the fellows
Dhruva Jaishankar
Dhruva Jaishankar
Dhruva Jaishankar is executive director of the Observer Research Foundation America (ORF America), a public policy think tank in Washington, DC, which he helped establish in 2020. He is also vice president – Americas at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
Mr Jaishankar was previously a fellow in foreign policy studies at Brookings India in New Delhi and the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. Prior to that, he was a Transatlantic Fellow with the German Marshall Fund (GMF) in Washington, DC. From 2009 to 2012, he was a program officer with the Asia Program at GMF. Before that, he worked as a research assistant at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, and as a news writer and reporter for CNN-IBN television in New Delhi.
In 2015–2016, Mr Jaishankar was a visiting fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He has also been a non-resident fellow with the Lowy Institute in Australia, a David Rockefeller Fellow with the Trilateral Commission, an IISS–SAIS Merrill Center Young Strategist, and a Brent Scowcroft Award Fellow with the Aspen Strategy Group.
Mr Jaishankar is the author of Vishwa Shastra: India and the World (Penguin India, 2024), an introduction to India’s international relations, and his research has appeared in numerous book chapters, reports and journals. His commentary has appeared in Indian and international publications, including in print in Foreign Affairs, The Globe & Mail, The Hindu, Indian Express, India Today, Politico, The Straits Times and The Times of India, and online for The Atlantic, BBC World, Foreign Policy, Lawfare, The New York Times, Project Syndicate, War on the Rocks and The Washington Post. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and classics from Macalester College and a master’s degree in security studies from Georgetown University.
Peter Kell
Peter Kell
Peter Kell is a former New Zealand senior diplomat with extensive experience across Asia, particularly Japan, where he graduated from Kyoto University with a law degree, worked in Tokyo’s finance industry, and undertook three diplomatic assignments, the last as consul-general and deputy head of mission. He has served as a private secretary to the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, and has undertaken secondments with the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Office of the Speaker of the Lower House of the Parliament of Japan. From 2020 to 2024, Peter served as New Zealand’s ambassador to the Philippines. He has also served in Honiara and London.
Peter is now chief operating officer (New Zealand) of Obayashi Corporation, one of Japan’s largest general construction companies, which has invested heavily in New Zealand’s renewable and hydrogen energy sectors. He is director of Halcyon Power Limited, director of the New Zealand Hydrogen Council, and chief executive of Halcyon Green Hydrogen. He has also served on the board of the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Peter holds a Master of International Relations from Victoria University of Wellington. He brings strong expertise in economics, sustainability and business engagement across North and Southeast Asia.
The Foundation's Research Programme publishes surveys, reports, and insights briefs relating to all aspects of New Zealand’s relationships with and interests in Asia. We also provide grants to emerging scholars with Asia-related research interests.
