Sam Guthrie

Sam Guthrie is Austrade’s General Manager for Government and Policy. His division leads Austrade’s policy development function and ensures the agency’s alignment with government strategic objectives. Sam leads Austrade’s engagement across government including Ministerial and Cabinet, Parliamentary and the broader bureaucracy. His division supports the government’s trade and investment agenda by bringing the voice of Austrade’s international posts and business clients to the policy table.

Sam brings to Austrade close to 20 years of diverse experience in corporate affairs, diplomacy, international business development and stakeholder relations. An experienced counsellor of Cabinet Ministers, senior policymakers, CEOs and Boards, he is accustomed to providing advice against the backdrop of geo-strategic uncertainty and fluid political and regulatory environments, navigating the nexus between business and policy.

Sam has shown a core ability to build communication, consensus and commitment across complex stakeholder audiences. He has applied this experience as a senior diplomat, heading the Australian Trade & Investment Commission in Hong Kong & Macau, and as a member of AGL’s Executive Leadership Team navigating Australia’s largest generator through the complexities of the energy transition and emerging climate change policy. Prior to this Sam was an Associate Partner with Newgate Communications advising some of Australia’s most well-known companies on major transactions and high-profile issues. He began his career reviving the corporate reputation of the iconic Woolmark brand leading an international team of business development managers across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.