Our team

Dr. Jill Robinson MBE

Founder & CEO

Jill Robinson MBE, Dr.med.vet. h.c. has been a pioneer of animal welfare in Asia since 1985. Widely recognised as the world’s leading expert on the bear bile industry, Jill founded Animals Asia in 1998 devoted to ending the practice of bear bile extraction, and improving the welfare of animals across Asia. Jill also founded “Dr Dog” in Hong Kong in 1991 – the first animal therapy program in Asia – and is a member of the IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group - Asiatic Black Bear Expert Team.

Michelle Lombard

COO

Formerly a member of our Global Board, Michelle joined Animals Asia as Chief Operations Officer in April 2025. Michelle is a seasoned corporate executive and qualified accountant, and a specialist in supporting and advising businesses in the process of change, undertaking strategic reviews, and repositioning organizations for growth. Originally from South Africa, Michelle's love and passion for animals started early, being aware of the plight of wild rhinos who shared her home province and helping care for the long list of animals – lost, injured, or otherwise - that came into the family home.

Felix Ng, CFA, CPA, FCA

Finance Director

Felix is based in Hong Kong office and is responsible for overseeing global financial reporting, treasury management and internal control. Felix began his career as an accountant, working for KPMG. He qualified as a Chartered Financial Analyst in the USA, as a Chartered Accountant in the UK and as a Certified Public Accountant in HK before completing an LLB with the University of London. As a keen sailor, Felix loves nature and believes animals are important friends to human beings. He joined Animals Asia to use his skills to improve life for animals.

Tamara Bond

General Counsel

Tamara joined Animals Asia as General Counsel in 2003 and is responsible for all legal issues related to the organisation worldwide. In addition, she has worked to promote improvements in Hong Kong’s animal welfare legislation and has participated in government-NGO panels to review statutes affecting animal welfare, presented at international animal law conferences and worked with young lawyers and law students to encourage the practice of animal law. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, Tamara obtained a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and served as an antitrust attorney at the US Federal Trade Commission.

Joanne Dunsford

Global Director of Fundraising and Communications

Jo’s passion for animal welfare and social justice led her quickly into a career in the not-for-profit sector after she completed her degree in English Studies and pursued further studies in fundraising, communications, advertising and marketing. Jo joined Animals Asia as UK Director in June 2015 and held several senior roles across the global team before taking her current position in November 2023. Jo is as passionate about fundraising as she is about animals, bringing with her over 25 years’ sector experience and a successful record of driving growth in multi-million-pound teams for some of the UK’s biggest charities.

Boris Chiao

Founding Director

Boris is one of the founding members of Animals Asia and was responsible for overseeing the construction of our first sanctuary in China. He continues to manage its development, leads our Moon Bear Protection program and, having been with Animals Asia since the start, is deeply involved in developing our strategies to end bear bile farming and improve animal welfare. His father’s love of animals and nature had a great influence on Boris, and from an early age he has nurtured a deep respect for all living things and a desire to improve the lives of people and animals.

Heidi Quine BSc, MSc, MBA

Vietnam Director

Heidi was appointed Country Director for Vietnam in October 2024 having been with Animals Asia 13 years, starting out as a Bear Team Manager at our China sanctuary. Most recently she held the role of Vietnam Bear and Vet Department Director, heading up the bear care and veterinary teams at our Vietnam sanctuary. Heidi holds an MSc in International Animal Welfare, Ethics, and Law from Edinburgh University, and also an MBA in Human Resources from the Australian Institute of Business. Heidi has lived in Vietnam since 2015 and has increasing proficiency in the Vietnamese language. She has called Tam Dao National Park home since 2016, where she lives with her three rescued cats, Mì (Noodle), Ân Sủng (Grace) and Bảo An (Family Treasure).

Suki Deng

Director, Cat and Dog Welfare, China

Suki is based in Chengdu and is responsible for overseeing our Cat and Dog Welfare program in China. She leads the team in formulating strategies and actions for a variety of cat and dog welfare issues in mainland China, and has been a relentless force in improving the living conditions for cats and dogs and advocating for their welfare. Suki joined Animals Asia in 2006 and began with our ‘Doctor Dog’ project in Chengdu. She is hands on in the development and growth of our program and is also a member of the Rabies Working Committee of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, by government invitation.

Tuan Bendixsen, PhD

Senior Advisor / Director, Cat and Dog Welfare, Vietnam

After nearly 20 years leading Animals Asia’s operations in Vietnam, Tuan stepped back from this leadership role in favour of a new direction as Senior Advisor and Director, Cat & Dog Welfare Vietnam, in October 2024. This momentous change allows Tuan to continue to advise on Vietnam operations and Animals Asia’s campaign to end bear bile farming, work with national and local government authorities with whom he maintains solid relations, while directing his focus towards our campaign to end the dog meat trade in Vietnam. Tuan has developed the program in recent years, through research, alliances and activities to monitor and prevent national and international transport of dogs for food. He will focus on providing strategic direction while working closely with the Cat and Dog Welfare team to drive the campaign forward.

Dave Neale

Animal Sentience and Welfare Director

Dave leads a series of animal welfare campaigns aimed at improving the welfare of captive wild animals in China and Vietnam, working in partnership with government wildlife rescue centres and zoos to implement management training initiatives for animal managers and vets. He leads campaigns to end the use of animals in circuses and to end elephant riding tourism in Vietnam and has established the country’s first ethical elephant tourism experience in partnership with the Yok Don National Park. Dave has a particular interest in education and has developed a capacity-building education programme promoting the concepts of animal sentience, emotions and cognition within the teaching curriculums in China and Vietnam. Dave works across Asia in partnership with local animal welfare groups on multiple projects.

Niki Wu

Bear & Vet Team Director, China Bear Rescue Centre

Niki leads the team caring for the resident bears at our China sanctuary. Having first visited the sanctuary in 2010, Niki is now proud to call it home, joining Animals Asia in October 2024. Niki previously worked in the financial sector in Beijing and London, where she built strong leadership, management, and cross-cultural collaboration skills. While in the UK, Niki was volunteered with Animals Asia’s London Support Group, raising awareness and supporting the campaign to end bear bile farming in Vietnam. Her broader experience also includes volunteering on a number of conservation and community projects in Uganda, Kenya, Albania and China. Driven by her commitment to represent and speak for animals, and to contribute more directly to their protection and wellbeing, Niki made the shift to the animal welfare sector in 2024.

Ta Thu Thuy

Sanctuary Manager - Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre, Tam Dao

Thuy graduated with a degree in finance from university in Hanoi after which she spent many years working in various enterprises in the capital city and other provinces. Thuy believes deeply in the serendipitous connections in life, and it was through such a twist of fate that she found herself in Tam Dao, where she has been a dedicated member of the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre for the past 13 years. Her love for her work and the people at the centre led to her current role as the sanctuary manager, working alongside 100 local staff members, who together strive to build and develop the rescue centre and to fulfil the noble mission of Animals Asia to end the exploitation of bears for bile extraction.

Thuy Hoang

Sanctuary Manager - Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre II, Bach Ma

Thuy has nurtured a deep love for wildlife since childhood, graduating with a professional diploma in Veterinary Medicine in 2014 and spending several years working with wildlife NGOs, caring for primates and carnivores. This path led to her current role at Bach Ma Bear Rescue Centre, from where Thuy is on a heartfelt mission to end bear bile farming in her homeland. Thuy leads a close-knit team dedicated to creating a sanctuary that offers a safe haven for bears rescued from the harsh bile industry and to forging a brighter future where humanity’s relationship with wildlife is rooted in empathy and respect.

Anneleise Smillie

Chair

Anneleise has over 20 years’ experience in the non-profit sector, having joined Animals Asia as a volunteer in 1999. She has worked for the Brooke Hospital for Animals in London, and as Executive Director at Redress in Hong Kong, an environmental charity working to reduce waste in the fashion industry. Her involvement with Animals Asia is a lifelong passion and has seen her examining potential Dr. Dogs across Asia, founding and developing materials for our Professor Paws education program and organising conferences. She joined the board in 2010 and stepped into the role of chair in 2020. She now lives in Holland with her family and a motley collection of rescue animals from HK and Shanghai.

Celine Zhang

Vice-chair

Celine is a highly flexible and entrepreneurial financial professional with experience across private wealth advisory, investment, and corporate banking, as well as hands-on financial experience as a qualified accountant in-house and for a leading audit firm. A native of China, Celine has extensive international exposure from living and working in London and Paris and is currently based in Dubai. After obtaining her MBA, Celine worked for BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered and HSBC where she was responsible for delivering the full suite of investment banking products. She holds a BSc in Finance from Fudan University and an MBA degree from HEC Paris.

Noëlle Gahan

Secretary

Noëlle is a growth-focused Chief Marketing Officer, with a track record of senior roles with global public relations companies, in-house marketing and sales roles with multinationals, and leadership and board roles in two start-ups. Her journey with Animals Asia started in 2006 while living in China when she visited the Chengdu Bear Rescue Centre with her family. Noëlle loves animals and is the proud mother of three dogs, two cats, and four humans! She is a world-class outrigger canoe and dragon boat athlete, having represented Hong Kong in world championships. An avid consumer of technology, Noëlle has three engineering degrees and an MBA.

Stephen Lee

Board Member

Stephen joined the Animals Asia Board in 2021 and has been involved in animal welfare since 2003. He was the former Chair of the NSW Young Lawyers Animal Law Committee and his experience includes educating the legal profession and wider community about the importance of defending animals from abuse and neglect, promoting academic exploration in the field of animal law, and contributing to law and policy development. Stephen is dual-qualified to practice as a lawyer in Australia and Hong Kong and is currently working in Sydney. He holds a Bachelor of Information Technology from the University of Wollongong, and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Technology Sydney.

Dr William Thomas, BVSc MRCVS

Board Member

Will is the Founder and CEO of Animal Doctors International, aiming to revolutionise pet care across Southeast Asia. Operating ten veterinary hospitals across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, Animal Doctors International's work focuses on key areas such as veterinary capacity building, animal welfare, responsible pet ownership, and wildlife conservation. As the founder of Idsara Wild, Vice-Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Laos and a previous board member of the Lao Elephant Initiative, Will's leadership skills and commitment to responsible governance and strategic planning will significantly enhance Animals Asia's collaboration with other key organisations in the region.

Jill Robinson MBE

Founder and CEO

Jill Robinson MBE, Dr.med.vet. h.c. has been a pioneer of animal welfare in Asia since 1985. Widely recognised as the world’s leading expert on the bear bile industry, Jill founded Animals Asia in 1998 devoted to ending the practice of bear bile extraction, and improving the welfare of animals across Asia. Jill also founded “Dr Dog” in Hong Kong in 1991 – the first animal therapy program in Asia – and is a member of the IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group - Asiatic Black Bear Expert Team.

Anne Collier

Board Member

Anne lives in the UK and has enjoyed various roles throughout the course of her career for nearly 20 years. She first worked in business travel and cruising companies in central London before starting a family and moving to the east coast of England where she worked as a home carer for the next 12 years assisting people in the community with their daily lives. Anne has homed two rescue cats who lived into their twenties, including one lucky elderly boy named Toby, originally picked up from the streets of Hong Kong and flown over to the UK where he lived happily with Anne and her family for the next eight years.

Nicola Field

Board Member

Nicola (Nic) Field is the former Bear & Vet Team Director at Animals Asia's China Bear Rescue Centre, where she spent 12 years. She is the Co-Founder/Director of Global Animal Welfare, an international NGO building capacity in wildlife rescue facilities and sanctuaries and she lectures in animal behaviour and welfare. Nic spent six years as co-chair of the IUCN Captive Bear Expert Team and is a Trustee for Wild Futures, a UK primate welfare and conservation charity rescuing, campaigning, educating and providing sanctuary to primates in need. Nic has 25 years’ experience working with wildlife particularly bears and primates. Nic has an MSc in Wildlife Biology & Conservation, as well as Animal Management and Education and Training qualifications

Jill Robinson

Founder and CEO

Jill Robinson MBE, Dr.med.vet. h.c. has been a pioneer of animal welfare in Asia since 1985. Widely recognised as the world’s leading expert on the bear bile industry, Jill founded Animals Asia in 1998 devoted to ending the practice of bear bile extraction, and improving the welfare of animals across Asia. Jill also founded “Dr Dog” in Hong Kong in 1991 – the first animal therapy program in Asia – and is a member of the IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group - Asiatic Black Bear Expert Team.

Dr. Katrina Warren

Board Member

Dr Katrina is one of Australia’s most recognised veterinarians. With an impressive media career spanning 30 years, she is an established and trusted pet expert known for promoting responsible pet ownership and championing animal welfare causes. Katrina has been an Animals Asia Ambassador since 2006 after a media trip took her to the Chengdu bear sanctuary, where she witnessed several bears arriving from a farm. Deeply moved by the experience, Katrina immediately pledged her support. Katrina joined the Australian Board of Animals Asia in 2023.

Rebekah Lam

Board Member

Rebekah joined the Australian board in 2024. She is a solicitor and was a Chartered Accountant, and has worked at multinational companies in London and Sydney and at several professional services firms. Rebekah's expertise includes corporate governance, risk management, finance, mergers and acquisitions and contracting. Rebekah is passionate about animal protection and was Chair of the NSW Young Lawyers' Animal Law Committee, and NSW Coordinator for the Barristers' Animal Welfare Panel. She has provided pro bono advice to many animal welfare charities. Rebekah is committed to advocating for the vulnerable and is also on the board of Assistance Dogs Australia and Action on Poverty.

Lara Simpson

Secretary

Lara joined the Animals Asia Board as Secretary in September 2023 with 25 years of experience within the charity sector. She has worked in fundraising, administration, finance, animal welfare, compliance, governance and risk. She joined Animals Asia’s Supporter Care Team in 2007, became our Global Head of Supporter Experience and currently works within our Legal Team. Having studied Anthropology at university, this led to a passion for primates which became a career with the welfare of animals at its heart.

Tamara Bond

Board Member

Tamara joined Animals Asia as General Counsel in 2003 and is responsible for all legal issues related to the organisation worldwide. In addition, she has worked to promote improvements in Hong Kong’s animal welfare legislation and has participated in government-NGO panels to review statutes affecting animal welfare, presented at international animal law conferences and worked with young lawyers and law students to encourage the practice of animal law. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, Tamara obtained a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and served as an antitrust attorney at the US Federal Trade Commission.