PoD Monthly Luncheon

Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement: a commitment to openness

Date: 9th May 2019 (Thursday)

Time: 12:30pm

Venue: The China Club

Speaker: Ms Michaela Browning, Australia’s Consul-General to Hong Kong and Macau

Ms Browning is an experienced diplomat with extensive international policy, program management and operational experience. She has worked for the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade for 23 years including postings to Singapore and Thailand. She has been a trade negotiator in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and on Australia-US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA), Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), a senior policy adviser and manager on Asia, trade and international security issues.

Before her appointment in Hong Kong, Ms Browning was General Manager and Head of Investment at Austrade, the Australian Government’s trade and investment promotion agency. She led Australia’s investment teams in Australia and across an extensive overseas network. Immediately before that, she was General Manager Established Markets and Special Adviser to the CEO on Strategy and China. In this role, she had overall responsibility for the Austrade presence in, and trade and investment promotion for North America, Western Europe, North Asia, Turkey, Israel, New Zealand, and the Pacific.

Prior to that, from 2011 to 2014, she was Assistant Director General at AusAID, developing and managing Australia’s substantial aid program in Afghanistan and Pakistan and working with official donors and partners and on strategy and coordination.

During 2010 and 2011, Ms Browning was Asia, Intelligence and Counter-terrorism Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and then Senior Adviser on International Policy and Intelligence to the Minister for Defence.

She has a Master Degree in Foreign Affairs and Trade and a Bachelor Degree in Economics (Honours) from Monash University. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Fee: HKD$750 per person

This luncheon will be conducted in English.