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Geoff Raby Headshot

Geoff Raby AO

AMBASSADOR CHINA

Geoff Raby is Chairman and CEO of Geoff Raby & Associates, a Beijing-based business advisory firm. He is also an independent, non-executive director on the boards of Fortescue Mining Group, OceanaGold, and SmartTrans.

Raby was the Australian Ambassador to China from February 2007 to August 2011 and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) from November 2002 to November 2006. He has held a number of senior positions in DFAT, including First Assistant Secretary, International Organisations and Legal Division (2001-2002), Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation, Geneva (1998-2001) and First Assistant Secretary, Trade Negotiations Division (1995-1998). He was Australia’s APEC Ambassador from Nov 2002 to Dec 2004.

Between 1986 and 1991 Raby served in Beijing twice as head of the Embassy’s Economic Section. He has also held positions as trade policy adviser to the Minister for Trade (1993) and in the Office of National Assessments (1984 to 1986). In 1991, he established in DFAT the Northeast Asia Analytical Unit which subsequently became the East Asia Analytical Unit. He was head of the Unit from 1991 to 1993. Between 1993 and 1995, Dr Raby was head of the Trade Policy Issues Division of the OECD, Paris.

Raby was born in Melbourne, Australia, in September 1953. Before joining the Commonwealth Public Service, he was senior tutor in economics at La Trobe University. He has BEc (Hons), MEc and PhD degrees from La Trobe.

In 2007 Raby was a recipient of the La Trobe University Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2010 he was made a guest Professor of Nankai University, Tianjin PRC. Dr Raby is a Member of the Order of Bernard O’Higgins, Chile, for services to international trade, especially for promoting agricultural trade liberalisation.

Raby has recently been appointed as Vice Chancellor’s Professorial Fellow at Monash University.  In October 2011, Raby was appointed by the Minister of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to the International Education Advisory Council.