Mr Ian Halliday joined Austrade in July 2018 as General Manager – Middle East and Africa with responsibility for Austrade operations in the Middle East and Africa. Mr Halliday also holds the position of Consul-General of Australia to Dubai. Prior to joining Austrade Mr Halliday was Managing Director of Dairy Australia from January 2010. His expertise includes an extensive range of management roles with SPC, Goodman Fielder, Kraft Foods, KR Castlemaine and Vesco Foods. Whilst at Kraft Foods, Mr Halliday was Director of Operations responsible for all manufacturing and supply chain activities for the Kraft Australia organisation. He was also responsible for all Kraft Australia Export business, most of which included sales into Asia and the Middle East. His last appointment at Kraft Foods was the Director of Coffee Operations based in the United Kingdom. At KR Castlemaine and Vesco Foods he was the CEO, responsible for leading transformational change at both organisations. Mr Halliday is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), is a former Director of Agrifood Skills Australia, the Pastoral Pork Company (Otway Park) and GOTAFE.

Preeti Rekhari is Austrade’s Senior Investment Manager based in Dubai, responsible for promoting and facilitating productive investment into Australia in five national priority areas. With several years of experience in this role she has developed Austrade’s investment strategy for the Middle East and Africa region. Sovereign wealth funds and state-owned enterprises from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries form the cornerstone of the strategy. Besides building an informed narrative about these investors, which aids engagement at senior government levels, Preeti also works closely with the Middle East and Africa region’s General Manager, Trade Commissioners, and two investment managers on an expanded regional strategy for corporates, family offices and high-net-worth individuals eligible for Austrade services.

Preeti holds a Masters in International Business degree from the University of Wollongong in Dubai.