John Leslie

John Leslie serves as the Director of Trade and Investment at the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) since January 2017, specializing in the space and defence sectors. Notable achievements include leading Australia's strategy for commercial space ports, facilitating US launch providers' operations in Australia, and fostering collaboration between Australian and US defence entities. Prior to Austrade, John served as an Advisor for Economics and Trade at the European Union Delegation to New Zealand, where significant contributions included spearheading the negotiation process for a Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand and addressing climate change initiatives. John also held tenured academic positions at Victoria University of Wellington, focusing on international political economy, and was a Visiting Professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. Educationally, John holds a PhD in Political Science/Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley, and an AB in the same field from Princeton University.