IORA DIRECTORS

Alex Mpangala has been seconded by the Ministry of Finance and Planning of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania as the Director for Corporate Services of IORA.

Prior to his appointment, he has engaged in civil service and inter-governmental economic relations in diverse duties involving development finance, funding administration and fiscal budget management and appraisal. His delegated administrative experiences have been within the Government of Tanzania in the Ministry of Finance.

Alex Mpangala holds a Master of Science in Economics and Finance for Development (MSc Economist and Finance) in addition to a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Statistics. He has fourteen years professional experience.

Zelda Vrolick is seconded from South Africa to the IORA Secretariat since January 2023 and occupies the position of Director responsible for the Academic, Science and Technology Cooperation, and Tourism and Cultural Exchanges Priority Areas. 

Zelda Vrolick has extensive experience in diplomacy and international relations and has previously served in the Directorate: BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). Prior experience includes serving as 1st Secretary (Political) at the South African Embassies in Senegal and Argentina and as 3rd Secretary (Political) at the South African Embassy in Sweden. She began her diplomatic career as an Assistant Foreign Service Officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1994.

She holds a Masters’ Degree from the University of the Free State.

Shivraj Dhuppe is an Indian Civil Servant seconded from the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India as Director at the IORA Secretariat in Mauritius since April 2024. 

The assigned responsibilities are for priority areas dealing with Maritime Safety and Security (MSS) and Disaster Risk Management (DRM). He is also the interim Director for Institutional Arrangement and Broadening Engagement (IABE).

He has experience in Government of India in different capacities in dealing with Project Assessment and Management, Infrastructure Contract Management, Research and Development activities and Public-Sector Audit. He was on deputation to United Nations, New York as member of team under the Board of Auditors to UN. Attended many professional trainings at premier National and International Institutions on Climate change and adaptation, Sustainable Development Goals of UN, Biodiversity management, urban infrastructure management etc and had Environment review of many projects and schemes.

He holds postgraduate degree and Bachelor of Laws from Mumbai University. 

Michael Gurner is on secondment to the Indian Ocean Rim Association Secretariat from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He occupies the position of Director responsible for Trade and Investment Facilitation. He brings strategic foreign policy experience in the Indo-Pacific covering international relations with Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, maritime security, energy security, and economic diplomacy. 

Mr Gurner holds tertiary qualifications in international relations from the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide. His recent professional studies include policy development, diplomacy and national security at institutions including the National Security College (Canberra), Centre for Public Management (Sydney), and King's College London.

Stephanie Johannes is a diplomat seconded from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia and currently serves as Director responsible for Fisheries Management and the Blue Economy.

Since 2019, she has been actively involved in regional cooperation, particularly through Indonesia’s engagement with IORA, where she has contributed to a wide range of cross-sectoral and institutional initiatives.

She has supported the development of key frameworks such as the Strategic Framework on Marine Debris and the ASEAN–IORA MoU signed in 2023, and was actively involved in the establishment of the Cluster Group on Fisheries Management (now known as the Core Group on Fisheries Management), which was endorsed in 2020. As part of the team coordinating Indonesia’s role as the IORA National Focal Point, she has worked closely with national stakeholders across all IORA priority and cross-cutting areas, with a focus on the Blue Economy, fisheries cooperation, and regional institutional development.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Universitas Pelita Harapan, and a Master’s degree in Global Environment, Politics and Society from the University of Edinburgh.