Richard Maude joined Asia Society Australia in January 2020 as the inaugural Executive Director, Policy, and Senior Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute – the first senior executive role in the Institute outside the United States. Richard Maude most recently served as Deputy Secretary, Indo-Pacific Group, in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

His portfolio covered Australia’s bilateral relations with Australia’s partners in Asia and North America, as well as Australia’s regional political, security, economic, and development assistance interests.

In 2017, Maude was head of the whole-of-government taskforce which supported the preparation of the Australian Government’s 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper. Maude was Director-General of the Office of National Assessments from May 2013 until November 2016.  ONA reports directly to the Prime Minister and provides all-source assessments on international political, strategic, and economic developments affecting Australia’s national interests.

Before taking up the position of Director-General ONA, Mr. Maude was the senior adviser on foreign policy and national security issues in the Office of the Prime Minister. Mr. Maude has worked extensively on international security and Indo-Pacific affairs as a career foreign service officer in Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has served overseas in Malaysia, where he was Deputy High Commissioner, Singapore and as the Liaison Officer for the Office of National Assessments in the Australian Embassy in Washington DC.

Mr. Maude holds a first class honors degree in politics from the University of Adelaide and a Master of Arts (International Relations) from the Australian National University.