Kevin Rudd

Biography

Kevin Rudd was Australia's Prime Minister on two separate occasions, in a career that has also included serving as the country's foreign minister and Ambassador to the US. As Prime Minister, he led Australia's response to the Global Financial Crisis, leading a strategy that the International Monetary Fund recognised as one of the most effective of all member states, with Australia being the only major developed economy to avoid recession. A foreign policy and Asia expert he represented Australia as a co-founder of the G20, taking a lead in its response to the financial crisis and helping contain its damage. His government also delivered major domestic reforms across sustainability and the environment, education, health, indigenous reconciliation, and infrastructure, including Australia's first-ever national school curriculum and the establishment of the National Broadband Network.

Mr Rudd's career in public service spans diplomacy, foreign policy and international engagement. In over 15 years in frontline politics, he served as Foreign Minister, where he was instrumental in expanding the East Asia Summit to include both the United States and Russia, seeking to build frameworks for regional stability. He drove Australia's successful bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, championed climate action through ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and renewable energy targets, and significantly increased Australia's foreign aid budget. He subsequently served as Australia's Ambassador to the United States under the Trump and Biden Administrations, navigating a critical period in great-power relations and increasing focus on Asia from the diplomatic front.

Global President and CEO of the Asia Society in New York, Mr Rudd is also the Founding President of the Asia Society Policy Institute, a ‘think-and-do tank’ focused on global engagement with Asia. He is a leading international authority on China and US-China relations, having published extensively on Chinese politics and geopolitical strategy. Proficient in Mandarin Chinese, he holds a degree in Chinese language and history and, after serving as Prime Minister, completed his DPhil from Oxford University examining the ideological worldview of China's President Xi. He is the author of On Xi Jinping - How Xi's Marxist Nationalism is Shaping China and the World, an exploration of China's ideology, politics and social, economic and foreign policy. Whilst in The Avoidable War he looks at what conflict between the US and China would look like. He’s a frequent guest of international broadcaster including the BBC, US network television and leading podcasts, and contributes to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Financial Times and media outlets across Europe and Asia.

Mr Rudd examines the defining questions facing leaders today: how to navigate geopolitical complexity without succumbing to conflict or miscalculation, how to lead through crisis and uncertainty, and what effective statecraft looks like in an era of technological disruption and great-power competition. Combining experience in government, diplomacy and academia, he explores leadership, policy implementation, economic resilience, and the intersection of technology, governance and society. His experience spanning economic crisis, domestic policy reform and international relations offers practical thoughts on what it takes to lead at the highest level.