Nicola is the Program Director of the New Colombo Plan, which is a flagship scholarships program for the Australian Government. She previously worked as Palladium's Regional Partner in the Asia Pacific, leading Palladium's business across a range of clients and sectors in the region, with a particular focus on international development work through DFAT. She has more than 16 years of experience both in the UK and internationally, working as a public servant before moving into international development consulting. Her development experience includes senior programme management and consultancy assignments in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, the Balkans and the Caribbean. She has an MSc in International Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.