Year joined

2011

Current position

Deputy Director, Economic and Policy Section, Australian Office, Taipei

Other key placements including overseas assignments

I am currently on my first posting to Taipei. For my graduate rotations in DFAT, I was in G20 Section, Trade and Economic Division; then Southern Europe Section, Europe Division.

What qualifications do you have?

Bachelor of Commerce (Major: Economics) and Bachelor of Arts (Major: French).

What were you doing before you joined DFAT?

I was completing my studies at the University of Sydney.

Why did you apply to DFAT?

I was interested in DFAT's work and attracted to the opportunities it offered: living abroad; working on a broad range of international political and economic issues; and using my language abilities as well as learning new languages. With my background in economics and languages, it was the ideal place to apply to.

How have you used your economic training during your time at DFAT?

During my G20 rotation, I worked on a range of international economic and financial issues, with a particular focus on Australia's interests. My economic background proved to be very useful when dealing with G20-relevant topics such as international trade, financial flows and regulations, corporate governance, international monetary system, development economics, and labour economics. Being our 6th largest export destination, Taiwan is an important trading partner of Australia. During my posting in Taipei, I worked on Australia's trade and investment relations with Taiwan, as well as Taiwan's domestic economy and cross-strait economic development.

What has been the highlight of your career so far with DFAT?

My experience with DFAT – though still limited – has so far been wonderful. The highlight would have to be my current posting in Taipei. I really enjoy the policy work here (political and economic reporting; representational activities), as well as my corporate roles (e.g. IT support). It's a good balance.

As an economist, why would you recommend DFAT as a career?

I highly recommend DFAT as a career for those with economic training and interested in economics. These days, global economic issues occupy a large part of our society's discussions, as reflected by the media. It's also now impossible to divorce economic questions from political considerations. DFAT offers an excellent opportunity to apply economic knowledge to a wide spectrum of issues, be it FTA negotiations, regional financial architectures, or multilateral trade forums.