Jan Adams (diplomat)

Jan Elizabeth Adams AO, PSM (born 1963) is an Australian diplomat who has served as the Australian Ambassador to Japan since October 2020. She was previously the Australian Ambassador to China from February 2016 to August 2019.

Jan Adams AO PSM
Australian Ambassador to China
In office February 2016 – August 2019
Preceded by	Frances Adamson
Succeeded by	Graham Fletcher
Australian Ambassador to Japan
Incumbent
Assumed office October 2020
Preceded by	Richard Court
Personal details
Born	1963 (age 57–58)
Children	One Son
Alma mater	Monash University BEc (Hons), LLB (Hons)
Occupation	Public servant, diplomat

Early life and education

Adams, born in 1963, grew up in Wodonga, Victoria. She studied economics and law at Monash University in Melbourne.[1] She completed her economics studies in 1986 with a Bachelor of Economics (honours). In 1988 she worked at the Trade Directorate of the OECD in Paris,[2] before returning to Monash University to complete her law studies in 1992 with a Bachelor of Laws (honours). Her law honours thesis was on the topic "Applying the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to Environmental Law and Policy".

During her undergraduate studies, Adams focused on the governance of international trade. She worked as a research assistant to Professor Richard H. Snape in the Department of Economics at Monash University, particularly on the study Regional Trade Agreements: Implications and Options for Australia, which was published in 1993 by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.[3]

Career

Adams worked as an adviser to Senator Peter Cook, in his capacity as Minister for Trade (1993–94) and Minister for Industry, Science and Technology (1994–96). She returned to Paris to work in the Environment Directorate of the OECD from 1996 to 1998, where she researched trade and environment issues. In 1999 she worked briefly as a consultant on foreign investment and the environment.[4]

Adams joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in 1999 as Assistant Secretary of the APEC Branch. She subsequently served as Minister Counsellor for Trade at the Australian Embassy in Washington from 2000 to 2004. In that capacity she was involved in negotiations leading to the Australia–United States Free Trade Agreement. Following the completion of the negotiations, she led the Australian advocacy campaign in the USA for the FTA. This contributed to overwhelming Congressional support for the FTA, which entered into force in 2005.

Returning to Australia, Adams held positions with DFAT as First Assistant Secretary in the Free Trade Agreement Division (2009-2013) and Deputy Secretary (2013-2015).[5] In the first position she was lead negotiator for Australia during the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with respectively China, Japan, South Korea and India.[6] In the latter position she took a leading role for Australia in the ongoing negotiations about the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA).[7]

In December 2004, Adams was announced as Australia's Ambassador for the Environment (2005–2007), and later served as Ambassador for Climate Change (2007–2009).[1][2] In that role she headed the policy development that led to the establishment of the significant six-nation Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (AP6), a voluntary public-private partnership involving Australia, Canada, India, Japan, the People’s Republic of China, South Korea and the United States.

In February 2016 Adams took up the post of Australian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.[8]

In October 2020 Adams took up the post of Australian Ambassador to Japan.[9]

Awards

Adams received the Australian Public Service Medal (PSM) in 2007, awarded to her for public service in pursuing Australia’s international objectives on trade and the environment, particularly the AP6.[10] She was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday 2016 honours.[11]

References

1. Downer, Alexander (10 December 2004). "Diplomatic appointment: Ambassador for the Environment" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
2. "The Negotiator". The Australian. 17 October 2008.
3. http://www.worldcat.org/title/regional-trade-agreements-implications-and-options-for-australia/oclc/29882293
4. OECD Conference on Foreign Investment and the Environment, The Hague, The Netherlands, 28-29 January 1999
5. Jan Adams: Executive Profile & Biography, Bloomberg Business
6. Negotiating the Trifecta: How Australia's Free Trade Agreements with Korea, Japan and China Were Forged, AsiaSociety-Australia, 31 March 2015
7. Dorling, Philip (4 July 2015). "WikiLeaks: Secret Trade Deal Exposed". The Saturday Paper.
8. Bishop, Julie (22 October 2015). "Ambassador to China" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016.
9. Ambassador to Japan | Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Women
10. Media Notes Public Service Medal PSM (PDF), Australian Government, 2007
11. "Search Australian Honours: ADAMS, Jan Elizabeth, Officer of the Order of Australia", itsanhonour.gov.au, Australian Government, archived from the original on 13 June 2016