Ambassador to the World Trade Organization

Today we announce the appointment of Ms Frances Lisson PSM as Australia's next Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva.

Ms Lisson will also represent Australia in the World Intellectual Property Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Economic Forum.

The WTO is the pre-eminent institution for global trade management and reform. Australia's future economic prosperity relies on transparent and enforceable rules for global trade. We advance our trade interests in the WTO through trade negotiations focused on continuing the process of reform and through systems to resolve trade disputes within existing rules.

Ms Lisson is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently First Assistant Secretary of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Division and Australia's Chief Negotiator for the Indonesia-Australia Closer Economic Partnership Agreement and the Australia-India Closer Economic Cooperation Agreement. Ms Lisson was lead negotiator for Australia's FTAs with China, Japan and Korea. Previously, she was Assistant Secretary for Trade Policy and Industrials in the Office of Trade Negotiations.

She has served overseas as Australia's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York, and Deputy High Commissioner, Ottawa, with earlier postings in Tokyo and Suva.

Ms Lisson holds a Bachelor of Economics and Graduate Diploma in Foreign Affairs and Trade from the Australian National University. She is expected to take up her appointment in January 2017.

We thank outgoing Ambassador Mr Hamish McCormick for his significant contribution to advancing Australia's interests in the WTO since 2013.