Australia Monday appointed new envoys for United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Vanuatu, Greece and Solomon Islands.
Ms Heidi Venamore has been named as Australia’s next Ambassador to United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Ms Venamore is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and was most recently Assistant Secretary, Counter Terrorism Branch.
She has previously served overseas as Head of Mission, Australian Embassy, Amman; Head of Political/Trade Branch, Australian High Commission, London; and Deputy Head of Mission, Australian Embassy, Baghdad. In Canberra Ms Venamore has served as Director, Sea Law Section, Legal Branch; and Director, Iraq Task Force.
Mr Jeremy Bruer has been appointed as Australia’s next High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
Mr Bruer is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and is currently Assistant Secretary, Southeast Asia Maritime Branch.
He has previously served overseas as Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates; High Commissioner to Vanuatu; Deputy Head of Mission, Australian Embassy, Riyadh; and Second Secretary, Australian High Commission, Port Moresby.
In Canberra he has served with DFAT as Assistant Secretary, Papua New Guinea and Fiji Branch; Director, Iraq Rehabilitation Unit, Iraq Task Force; Executive Officer, International Organisations Branch; and Executive Officer, Pacific Islands Branch.
Mr Bruer holds a Master of Arts from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Adelaide.
Ms Sarah de Zoeten is named as Australia’s next High Commissioner to Vanuatu.
Ms de Zoeten is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and is currently Assistant Secretary, Office of the Pacific. She has previously served overseas in Port Moresby and New York.
She has served as Chief of Staff to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and as Assistant Secretary, International Legal Branch. Ms de Zoeten holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Newcastle.
Mr Arthur Spyrou has been appointed as Australia’s next Ambassador to Greece. Mr Spyrou will also be accredited to Bulgaria and Romania.
Mr Spyrou is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. He has previously served overseas as Chargé d’Affaires, Australian High Commission, Nauru; Counsellor, Australian High Commission, Kuala Lumpur; Olympics Attaché for the 2004 Athens Games; and Second Secretary and Deputy Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Australian Embassy Paris.
In Canberra he has served with DFAT as Director, Management and Corporate Strategy Section; Director, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar Section; and Director, United Nations and Commonwealth Section.
Mr Spyrou holds a Master of Arts (Foreign Affairs and Trade) from Monash University; Bachelor of Laws, Sydney University/Utrecht University; and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Sydney University.
Dr Lachlan Strahan has been named as Australia’s next High Commissioner to Solomon Islands.
Dr Strahan is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and is currently First Assistant Secretary, South and West Asia Division. He has previously served overseas as Deputy Head of Mission, Australian High Commission, New Delhi.
Dr Strahan holds a Doctor of Philosophy in History from Monash University and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Melbourne. His second book, Day of Reckoning, which traces Australia’s efforts to restore law and order in Papua New Guinea after WWII, was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Australian history prize in 2006.
