Peter Grey took up the position of Chief Executive Officer of Austrade in March 2010. 

Prior to joining Austrade as CEO, Mr Grey held a number of senior positions with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) where he was appointed a Deputy Secretary in 1994.  As Deputy Secretary, he had responsibility for a wide range of functions with a particular focus on trade policy and negotiations, and bilateral political and economic relations with Asia, Europe and the Americas.  He chaired the Department’s Audit and Risk Committee. 

Mr Grey’s past roles with DFAT included:

• Head of Post and Ambassador to the WTO, Geneva (2009 – 10)
• Ambassador in Brussels with responsibility for the European Union, NATO, Belgium and Luxembourg (2003 – 06)
• Ambassador to Japan (1998 – 2001)
• Ambassador for APEC (1996 – 98)
• Chief Trade Negotiator
• First Assistant Secretary (Head) of the Asia Division and the Trade Negotiation Division.

Earlier in his career he also had postings in Washington and Tokyo working on trade and commercial issues.

Mr Grey is on the Executive of the Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee (AJBCC), and the Australia China Business Council (ACBC); and is a member of the Board of the European Australian Business Council (EABC), and the Board of the Council on Australia Latin American Relations (COALAR).

Mr Grey has a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from the University of Sydney and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.

Laurie Smith has 25 years’ experience in international corporate, advisory and government roles that includes overseas assignments in Guangzhou, Beijing, Taipei and Shanghai.

For the past six years, Laurie has been Regional Director, North East Asia with Austrade, responsible for Austrade’s teams in over 20 locations across the region. In this time he has led the strengthening of Austrade’s presence across central and western China, developed new strategies to take advantage of opportunities arising from structural change in Japan and established in market support for Australian firms in the emerging market of Mongolia.

Laurie previously held a number of senior roles with News Corporation and its affiliates in Hong Kong and Beijing including as Executive Vice President (China) of STAR TV in Hong Kong. He led China business development for multiple divisions of the company, overseeing a range of direct and portfolio investments in China.

As executive director of a Sydney based Asian markets and strategy consultancy, Laurie worked on projects across markets including India, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and South Africa with a client base that spanned Australia, Europe, the US and Asia.

In his various roles, he has accumulated diverse industry experience ranging from agribusiness, to infrastructure and from technology to education and training services.

Laurie’s early career was with the Department of Trade & Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra and Taipei. Laurie has a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics, Statistics) from Melbourne University, and undertook post-graduate study at Peking University. He is fluent in Mandarin.

Tim Beresford brings to Austrade a track record of senior leadership in government, financial and professional services, and managing global teams of more than 1,000 employees. Tim was recruited to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet from the private sector, and was head of the Social Policy Division. Tim recently negotiated and delivered a National Health Reform Agreement which included all States and Territories.

Tim has a strong record of achievement in business, leading several major strategic acquisitions and rebranding projects including developing the Westpac Bank Retail Banking distribution strategy, which included a multichannel online strategy, resulting in the end-to-end redesign of the online channel. He has widespread experience in managing multiple stakeholders, backed by strategic and advisory skills, shaped by his time at McKinsey & Company in London and Sydney.

Since 2003 Tim Beresford has been a Board Member of Plan International Australia, and during that time has been Chairperson of its Corporate Governance and Fundraising and Marketing Committees.

Tim Beresford has a Masters of Philosophy (International Relations) from Cambridge University as well as Bachelor Degrees in Law and Economics (First Class Honours) from Sydney University. He was a Menzies Scholar in 1994. Tim is also is an Associate of the Securities Institute of Australia.

In April 2007, Peter Yuile joined Austrade as Deputy CEO and Executive Director, Government and Corporate Services. During this time, Peter has been responsible for the negotiations around the integration of Invest Australia and the Global Opportunities program into Austrade, and later the transfer of the responsibility for the international marketing of Australian education.

He was also responsible for working with the Minister for Trade, the Hon. Simon Crean, on the initiation of the Brand Australia program. Peter worked closely with DFAT and the joint Secretariat on the Mortimer Review of export policies and programs and the subsequent Cabinet consideration. Peter supported the CEO in his recent review of Austrade, particularly working with Departments in Canberra in preparation for Cabinet’s consideration of the recommendations of the review.

Prior to joining Austrade, Peter held the positions of Deputy Secretary, Department of Transport and Regional Services where he was responsible for aviation, transport security and regional policy and services issues; and Deputy Secretary, Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, where he was also the Executive Director in charge of the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service.

Peter has worked previously in the former Departments of Trade (in its various forms), Primary Industries and Energy and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade where he had responsibility variously for issues such as the development of bilateral trade strategies; Regional Forest Agreements; fisheries negotiations with Japan; bilateral agricultural and resource relations; human resource management; and was Departmental Liaison officer in the office of the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy. He was posted to the Australian Embassy in Seoul as Counsellor (Trade) from 1989-1991.

Peter has a B.A. (Hons, First Class) from the University of New South Wales.