Mr Peter Grey

Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, Geneva

Biography

Prior to his appointment as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, Mr Grey was a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

As Deputy Secretary, Mr Grey had oversight of the Office of Trade Negotiations, bilateral political and economic relations with North Asia, the Economic Analytical Unit, and the various taskforces negotiating free trade agreements with Asian countries.

He has served overseas as Ambassador in Japan from 1998 to 2001, and as Ambassador in Brussels with responsibility for the European Union, NATO and Belgium/Luxembourg from 2003 to 2006.

Mr Grey has been Australia's lead negotiator on WTO matters (1994 to1998 and 2001 to 2003) and Australia's senior APEC official and first Ambassador for APEC (1994 to 1998), positions held concurrently with that of Deputy Secretary. He has also been Australia's Chief Negotiator for the Japan Free Trade Agreement, and represented the department on the Australia China Council, the Australia Japan Foundation and the Australia Korea Foundation.

Other senior appointments with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have included Head (First Assistant Secretary) of the Asia Division; and Head (First Assistant Secretary) of the Trade Negotiations Division, Assistant Secretary, Multilateral Trade Division, and Chief Negotiator for Trade in Services.

Mr Grey earlier served in Washington and Tokyo, and had a short-term posting to Geneva during the Uruguay Round negotiations. From 1982 to 1985, Mr Grey was Assistant Secretary in the Department of Primary Industry, with responsibility for reform of the dairy industry, and a member of the Board of the Australian Dairy Corporation.

Mr Grey is married with two children. He holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from the University of Sydney and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford. He was awarded an Australian Government scholarship to undertake his MBA in the United States.