Retirement of Ken Waller, Director Australian APEC Study Centre

Many readers of this newsletter will know the Director of the Australian APEC Study Centre (AASC), Ken Waller. Ken, who has been Director of the Centre for the last nine years, retired from the position on 30 June 2017, leaving behind an enviable record of contribution to the work of APEC and to the ongoing discussions on freeing up commercial enterprise in the Asia-Pacific region.

Over the nine years of his Directorship, the Centre has developed into a centre of excellence for regional institutional capacity building in policy areas relating to trade, finance, investment, services, public-private partnerships in infrastructure, global supply chains, transport and logistics, digital trade, structural reform and the environment. It has produced numerous policy papers and advice supporting the transmission of leading practice and provided policy advice in regional fora and to governments.

It has provided support for the Australian membership of the APEC Business Advisory Council and the Asia-Pacific Infrastructure Partnership, the Regional Investment Analytical Group and has supported the Women in Research Fellowship Program on behalf of the an Australian Department of Education. Ken has planned his retirement from the AASC for some time and is leaving the Centre well placed for the future.

He is not leaving the APEC arena completely – Ken moves to Papua New Guinea to provide support for the PNG membership of the APEC Business Advisory Council in preparation for PNG’s 2018 APEC host year. Ken will be greatly missed at the AASC; we are deeply thankful for his years of service to the Centre, and wish him the very best in his future endeavours.

Interim leadership of the Centre following Ken’s retirement will be undertaken by Briony Wood-Ingram whilst a recruitment process for a new Director is underway.

Story: Errol Muir, Editor, APEC Currents