Programs

bio

Kirsten Sayers is CEO of RedR Australia, the only United Nations’ Standby Partner in the Asia Pacific and Southern Hemisphere. Former lawyer and senior diplomat, Kirsten has extensive experience in a range of commercially-oriented government, corporate, and advisory roles. She was Australia’s inaugural Investment Commissioner to ASEAN, and concurrently Australia’s Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner to Singapore. During this period she was also Vice President of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. Kirsten has also held senior diplomatic appointments in Paris, Bangkok and Taipei. She was Australia’s Chief Negotiator and Delegation Leader to the APEC Women Leaders’ Network meeting and Gender Focal Point Network APEC 2009. A specialist in Asian laws, she speaks English, Mandarin, French, Vietnamese, Norwegian and Swedish to various degrees. Kirsten is a Companion of Engineers Australia. She sits on the Trade and Investment Advisory Board of the Export Council of Australia, and is a foundation Advisory Board member to the United Nations’ Common Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination Standards.