Mr Mark Sawers
High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam
Biography
Mr Mark Sawers is an experienced officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Prior to taking up his role as High Commissioner in Bandar Seri Begawan, he was Director, Counter-Terrorism Cooperation in the Department’s International Security Division. In 2008, he was on secondment to the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies, at the Australian Defence College, in Canberra. From 2006 to 2007, he was Director, People Smuggling, Refugees and Immigration, and from late 2007 to early 2008, he served as adviser to the Commander of the International Stabilisation Force in Dili, East Timor.
Overseas, Mr Sawers served as First Secretary and later Counsellor at the Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva (2003-06). Prior to joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, he served as Principal Migration Officer for the then Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs in Beirut (1998-99) and in Belgrade (1995-97).
Mr Sawers hold a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Political Science and Economics) from the University of Melbourne, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Canberra, a Master of International Law from the Australian National University, and a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from Deakin University.
He is married to Danijela Kambaskovic-Sawers and has two children, Aidan and Una.