14 Facts About Peter Woolcott

Peter Richard Woolcott was born on 19 October 1953 and is an Australian public servant, diplomat and the former Australian Public Service Commissioner.

Peter Woolcott was previously the Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Peter Woolcott was born in West Berlin in 1953, the son of Richard Peter Woolcott, a former Australian diplomat public servant.

Peter Woolcott spent October 1953 to May 1954 in Moscow, while his father was Third Secretary at the Australian Embassy in the city.

Peter Woolcott graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University and a Master of Arts degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Peter Woolcott served in Australian diplomatic missions in Jamaica, Argentina, the Philippines as deputy head of mission, consul-general in Honolulu and representative to United States Pacific Command, deputy head of mission in Jakarta, chief of staff to the minister for foreign affairs, and Australian ambassador to Italy.

In October 2008, Peter Woolcott was one of several senior officials involved in Australia-US political-military talks.

At the talks, Peter Woolcott praised China's diplomatic efforts in south-east Asia, but said there were significant problems in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Burma.

Peter Woolcott sat on the Executive Board of the World Food Programme.

Peter Woolcott was appointed as the People Smuggling envoy in 2009, leaving the job after just eight months to take up a position as Australia's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva in 2010.

Peter Woolcott was a Director for the Sea Law and Ocean Policy Group, the Human Rights Section and the India and Indian Ocean Section.

Peter Woolcott has worked as the international adviser to Bond Corporation and as the Executive Manager International Bid Relations, Sydney Olympic Bid 2000 Bid.

In 2015, Peter Woolcott spearheaded Australia's negotiating teams at climate talks in the United Nations.

In 2017 Peter Woolcott was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to public administration in the field of international relations through senior diplomatic roles, and as a lead negotiator in the non-proliferation and arms control fields.