The Hon Andrew Robb AO

Until his recent retirement from politics, Andrew Robb was Australia’s Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism.

In this role Mr Robb negotiated Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Japan and China, as well as the 12 country Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Singapore. Additionally, he conducted 85 investment roundtables with 28 countries.

Mr Robb is currently Chairman of The Robb Group (corporate and investment advisory company), a Board Member of the Kidman cattle enterprise, CNSDose, Mind Medicine Australia, CLARA, CDMA and strategic advisor to Seafarms Ltd as well as a range of national and international businesses.

In the 70s Mr Robb worked as an animal health officer and then as agricultural economist. In the 80s he was Executive Director of the Cattle Council of Australia, and later, Executive Director of the National Farmers' Federation.

From 1990 to 1997 Mr Robb was the General Secretary and Campaign Director of the Liberal Party. The highlight of that time was directing the successful 1996 federal election campaign which brought former Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard AC, into government.

From 1997 to 2004 Mr Robb worked for Kerry and James Packer (leading the digital TV negotiations for Channel 9 in 1997/98), as well as advising major companies around Australia and overseas. During this time, he also built an Australia-wide data technology company, was on the investment team for the Gorgan Gas Project, and was a Board Member of Sinclair Knight Merz, then Australia’s largest consulting engineering company.

Mr Robb has also been Chairman of Asialink and the Australian Direct Marketing Association, a Board Member of the Garvan Medical Research Foundation, the Menzies Research Centre, the Big Brother Big Sister mentoring organisation, a member of the YWCA Leadership group and was honorary Treasurer of the Liberal Party in NSW.

In 2003 Mr Robb was awarded the Office of the Order of Australia (AO) for his service to agriculture, politics and the community.

In 2004 Mr Robb was elected to the Federal seat of Goldstein holding positions as Chairman of the Government’s Workplace Relations Taskforce, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and then Minister for Vocational and Further Education. In Opposition, he held positions as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Climate Change, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee and Shadow Minister for Finance, Deregulation and Debt Reduction.

Following the Coalition victory at the 2013 election, Mr Andrew Robb was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism.

Mr Robb has qualifications in Agricultural Science and a first-class Honours Degree in Economics, and lives in Sydney with his wife Maureen and has three adult children Tom, Joe and Pip.

Andrew is the author of “Black Dog Daze: Public Life, Private Demons” (Melbourne University Publishing).