Ian Kemish

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High Commissioner Ian Kemish (second from right) in Papua New Guinea in 2010.

Ian Kemish AM (born 1961 in the United Kingdom) is a strategic business adviser, international development expert and academic. He is a former senior Australian diplomat and corporate executive. From 2010 to 2013 he was Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea. He also served as Australian ambassador to Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. As of 2021 he is adjunct professor in History at the University of Queensland and co-founder of international strategic advisory firm Forridel.

Early life and education[]

Kemish was born in the United Kingdom and grew up in Papua New Guinea. He attended elementary school in Lae, Rabul, and then Port Moresby.;[1] and secondary school in Darwin and Brisbane, Australia. Kemish graduated with Honours in modern Southeast Asian history from the University of Queensland. He began his career as a secondary school teacher, working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders in Queensland. Kemish grew up in Papua New Guinea and Australia. He speaks Indonesian, German, and Papua New Guinea Tok Pisin.[2]

Career[]

Government[]

Kemish's 25-year Government career included service as Head of the Australian Prime Minister's International Division in 2004–05, Australian Ambassador to Germany and Switzerland from 2006 to 2009, and Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea. He was also Head of the Southeast Asia and Consular Divisions at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He earlier served in several other embassies in the Indo Pacific and Europe. He was awarded membership of the Order of Australia for his leadership of Australia's emergency response to the 2002 Bali bombings.[3] From February 2010 to March 2013, Kemish was Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby.[4][5]

Private sector[]

Kemish joined the private sector in 2013, taking on different leadership roles in the internationally focused resource sector, located in Washington and then Melbourne. In March 2020 he retired from the position of Chief People and Sustainability Officer at Newcrest Mining Limited where he had global accountability for sustainability, government and community relations, communications and human resources across Newcrest's jurisdictions in Australia, the Asia Pacific and the Americas.[2] He oversaw Newcrest's adoption of an overarching sustainability framework, greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and new biodiversity protection standards [1].

Forridel[]

Kemish is a co-founder and director of Forridel, a strategic advisory business which helps a range of private and public sector clients negotiate challenges in the international environment, with a particular focus on the Indo Pacific region. His business activities also involve working with the Washington-based Bower Group Asia as a senior adviser, and as an associate with the London-based Ambassador Partnership.[2]

Kemish is also actively engaged in the international development and not-for-profit sectors. He is a senior adviser to the Global Partnership for Education, where he supports GPE's partnerships with Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. He is Chairman of the Kokoda Track Foundation, which promotes health, livelihood, education and leadership in PNG, and is a director of 3rd Space, which provides services to the homeless in his home city of Brisbane. In addition, the Forridel advisory business directs at least one third of its net revenue towards philanthropic causes, with a particular focus on providing the disadvantaged with education opportunities that would otherwise be beyond their reach.

Academia[]

Kemish is also involved with a number of Australian universities and research institutes. He is an adjunct professor in History at the University of Queensland, where he also chairs UQ's ChangeMakers alumni engagement initiative. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Lowy Institute of International Affairs, an Honorary Fellow at Deakin University, and a Director of the Australia-Indonesia Centre at Monash University.

He writes regularly on Australian foreign policy and consular issues.[3].

Awards and honours[]

Kemish was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his leading role in the Australian government's international task force that responded to the 2002 Bali bombings.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Jackson, Keith (12 February 2013). "A tribute from 'PNG Attitude' to Ian Kemish AM". PNG Attitude. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Professor Ian Kemish AM, Chair". Alumni & Community. University of Queensland. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Speakers". The Hamburg Summit – China meets Europe. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  4. ^ Smith, Stephen (12 January 2010). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  5. ^ Radio National ABC Interview, 1 March 2013 reproduced at 2013 Valedictory interview: Ian Kemish bids PNG goodbye, archived from the original on 24 March 2013, retrieved 13 January 2021
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