Canberra: 2 July, 2019: Australia's former foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop has joined the board of global impact firm Palladium – her first non-executive directorship role in the private sector after leaving politics.
Following a highly successful 20-year political career, Ms Bishop has been selected as a board director of the leading consultancy. She brings a network of global contacts, long-standing public service experience, and background in driving innovation both in international development as well as for domestic social development issues.
She will join a six-strong board of directors including Alonzo Fulgram, former Chief Operating Officer of USAID, and Ann Sherry, former senior civil servant and Executive Chairman and CEO for 12 years of Australia's largest cruise ship operator Carnival Australia.
Kim Bredhauer, Executive Chairman of Palladium, said: "Julie Bishop's deep understanding of how development is effectively and efficiently delivered will further strengthen the expertise on our board and provide us with invaluable insights.
"We've long admired her work as a minister toward revolutionising the sector, and we're delighted to be her first private sector directorship. Her commitment to tapping into private sector expertise mirrors our own, as we develop new and innovative ways to tackle problems of social and economic inequality. We are both committed to inclusive growth, resulting in sustainable solutions around the world."
Julie Bishop served as Minister for Foreign Affairs in Australia from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament for Curtin, Western Australia, from 1998 to earlier this year. During her parliamentary career, she was praised for her work following the Malaysia Airlines MH17 tragedy in the Ukraine, improving Sino-Australian relations, and input into the Colombo Plan, an intergovernmental effort to strengthen economic and social development in the Asia-Pacific region.
Julie Bishop, former Australian Foreign Affairs minister, added: "Working with Palladium is a continuation of my long-standing interest in economic development in the Island nations of the Pacific and across the globe. Palladium has a focus on private sector engagement to deliver effective, sustainable development and even invests its own money into projects. I hope to provide further support to the company's efforts in economic and social development."
Palladium, which operates in over 90 countries, has a reputation for cutting edge social and economic innovation. Palladium designed and implemented the world's first healthcare development impact bond aimed at reducing maternal and new-born deaths in Rajasthan, India. Last year (2018), the company acquired Enclude, a financial advisory business, from the world's largest sustainable social and environmental impact bank.
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