 Speaker Biographies
Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, Minister for Finance, Parliament of Australia
Simon Birmingham was appointed as Minister for Finance in October 2020, following his appointment as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment in August 2018. Simon also holds the responsibilities of Leader of the Government in the Senate as well as Special Minister of State, having previously served as the Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate.
Simon grew up near Gawler in Adelaide’s north on his family’s small horse agistment property and was educated at local schools before going on to study at the University of Adelaide where he completed a Masters of Business Administration.
Prior to entering the Senate, Simon worked for a number of industry bodies, establishing particular experience in the wine, tourism and hospitality sectors – industries that are critical to South Australia’s prosperity.
After less than three years in the Senate Simon was appointed to the Shadow Ministry, serving as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray-Darling Basin and the Environment until the 2013 election.
Following the change of government in 2013 Simon served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment, with responsibility for water policy, including the Murray-Darling Basin, National Parks and the Bureau of Meteorology. In 2014 Simon was appointed to serve as the Assistant Minister for Education and Training in the Abbott Ministry, with specific responsibility for vocational education, apprenticeships, training and skills. In September 2015 he was appointed to position of Minister for Education and Training in the Turnbull government. In February 2018 he was appointed Manager of Government Business in the Senate. In August 2018 Simon was appointed as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate.
Simon is married to Courtney and together they have two young daughters, Matilda and Amelia. Simon is an active advocate for mental health and ovarian cancer and is a proud Adelaide Crows fan.
Michael Goldman, Chargé d’Affaires, US Embassy Canberra
Mike Goldman arrived in Canberra in March 2020, after three years at the U.S Embassy in Suva, Fiji, where he served as Charge d’Affaires (2018-2019) and DCM (2017). A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Mike joined the State Department in 2000. He recently served in Washington as Deputy and Acting Director for China and Mongolia in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (2015-2017). Previous assignments include Kathmandu (2012-2015), where he was Political and Economic Counselor; Hanoi (2008-2011) and Tashkent (2002-2005) as a political officer; and Taipei (2000-2002) as a consular officer, as well as an earlier stint on the China Desk (2005-2007). He’s the recipient of several State Department honors, including recognition as the Department’s outstanding human rights officer for his work to combat torture and safeguard vulnerable NGOs in Uzbekistan.
Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Mike worked as a dock worker on an oyster farm in Washington State’s Puget Sound and as an adjunct professor of political science at San Francisco State University.
Mike earned a Ph.D. and MA in political science from the University of California, Berkeley and an undergraduate degree in international politics from Georgetown University. He completed his dissertation research on a Fulbright scholarship at the Univesiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, Malaysia and has studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Taiwan Normal University, and the State University of Makassar in Ujung Pandang, Indonesia.
Mike speaks Mandarin Chinese, and at one time or another has also been fluent in Nepali, Vietnamese, Russian, and Indonesian. He has three children and is married to USAID Foreign Service Officer Brett Jones.
Mrs Melissa McIntosh MP, Co-Chair, Parliamentary Friends of the US, Parliament of Australia
Ms McIntosh is the Federal Member for Lindsay and the Government co-chair of the Australia-United States Parliamentary Friendship Group, the largest country group in the Australian Parliament.
Ms McIntosh was elected to the Parliament in May, 2019, representing the Western Sydney seat of Lindsay, which is home to vibrant manufacturing and construction industries, as well as the Western Sydney International Airport due to open in 2026.
Prior to entering Parliament, Ms McIntosh worked across academic and corporate spheres between Australia and the United States, including at the University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre and American Express.
Senator Kimberley Kitching MP, Co-Chair, Parliamentary Friends of the US, Parliament of Australia
Senator Kimberley Kitching was born and raised in Brisbane, Queensland and graduated from The University of Queensland with law and arts degrees. Growing up, she lived in the United States of America and Europe as her father, a professor of organic chemistry, had visiting fellowships. Kimberley attended school in the United States of America and European countries.
Before being sworn in as an Australian Labor Party Senator for Victoria in November 2016, Kimberley practised as a lawyer, worked in several private companies in senior executive positions, was a senior adviser to the Treasurer of Victoria and the Victorian Minister for Industry, Trade, Major Projects and Information Technology, was a Melbourne City Councillor and the General Manager of the Health Workers Union in Victoria.
In May 2019, Kimberley was promoted to one of the four leaders in the Senate for the Australian Labor Party as Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate. Kimberley also serves as Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Services and the National Disability Insurance Scheme and chairs the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee. Kimberley is a member of several other committees including the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties and the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.
Kimberley is a regular commentator in local and international media on issues of foreign affairs and human rights and has been an early advocate and campaigner for the adoption of Magnitsky-style legislation in Australia.
Hon Secretary Richard Spencer, Global Chair, Bondi Partners
Richard V. Spencer is Managing Director of Pallas Ventures an investment fund focusing on developing technologies that will have an impact on the National security mission. Prior to that he was the 76th Secretary of the Navy. He was sworn in to the office in August of 2017 and served until November of 2019. Previously he was Managing Director of Fall Creek Management LLC which focuses on value enhancement of private companies through capital investment and advice. He is former Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE-ICE) the leading electronic commodity futures exchange. He served in that capacity from November 2001 through January 2008. Richard was the President of Crossroads Investment Management LLC from 1998 to 2001, a leading venture capital and private equity fund-of-funds investment firm. He joined Crossroads after working on Wall Street for 16 years. During that period his responsibilities centered on investment banking services focusing on strategic advisory services and capital markets underwriting.
Mr. Spencer graduated from Rollins College in 1976 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in economics. Upon graduation from Rollins Richard joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the fleet until 1981. Mr. Spencer is a member of the board of directors of the Global Atlantic Financial Group, Aviation Safety Resources and Morpheus Space.
Hon Dr Brendan Nelson AO, President, Boeing Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific
Dr Brendan Nelson AO was appointed President of Boeing in Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific in February 2020. Dr Nelson is chairman of the board for Boeing Australia Holdings and the company’s senior leader for its 3,800 employees working across commercial airplane manufacturing, defence systems, services, research & development, and autonomous systems. Prior to Boeing, Dr Nelson served as director of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. He began his career in 1985 as a medical practitioner before going on to lead the Australian Medical Association. In 1996, he was elected to the Federal Parliament of Australia serving as Minister for Education, Science and Training and then as Minister for Defence. He was elected leader of Australia’s Liberal Party in 2007 and led the Opposition until 2008. He later served as Australia’s ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union and NATO until 2012. In 2016, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his services to the community and the parliament of Australia, his diplomacy, and his cultural leadership.
Andrea Thompson, Vice President for International Programs, Northrop Grumman
Ms. Andrea Thompson, Vice President for International Programs at Northrop Grumman, has a distinguished career in international policy, national security, intelligence, and leader development. She has served as U.S. Under Secretary of State, as well as the National Security Advisor to the Vice President. Prior to government roles, Thompson led the McChrystal Group Leadership Institute. A proud military veteran, Thompson served for over 25 years in the U.S. Army, including combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. She also served as the National Security Advisor to the Chairman, House Homeland Security Committee, and the Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee. Thompson is also the Professor of Practice at Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Dakota State University in her home state of South Dakota. She co-authored the book Achieving Victory in Iraq: Countering an Insurgency, is a Distinguished Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), board member of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group, and AI company, Adarga.
Mark Watson, National Security Advisor, Bondi Partners
With over thirty years’ experience in law, international relations and national security, Mark Watson is leading Bondi Partners national security practice.
Following a period in legal practice with a major law firm in Sydney, Mark’s career as a diplomat and national security official has included postings in Hong Kong, Singapore, London and, most recently, as Australia’s senior national security executive at the Australian Embassy in Washington DC. In that role, Mark was responsible for developing a range of key partnerships with US national security agencies and worked with US companies looking for opportunities to engage with the Australian national security and defense communities.
Mark has led cross-agency innovation, business process restructuring and change management programs, as well as providing ‘hands on’ leadership in high risk, high tempo environments. His effectiveness as a risk manager, negotiator and thought leader have been recognized by awards from both the US and Australian governments.
A trained Chinese linguist, Mark holds degrees in law and strategic studies, as well as a Masters degree in Public Policy. Mark also completed post-graduate studies in China’s Economic and Civil Law at the University of Hong Kong, and is a graduate of the Senior Executives Leadership program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Andrew Tillett, Political Correspondent, The Australian Financial Review
Andrew is an award winning reporter with The Australian Financial Review, based in the federal parliamentary press gallery.
He specialises in foreign affairs and defence, and played a leading role in exposing deficiencies in Australia's now abandoned French submarine deal.
Andrew moved to Canberra in 2008 with The West Australian newspaper before joining the Financial Review in 2017.
His interests include reading, particularly military history, running, the beach and sports.
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