New Zealand Associate Director||Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum

New Zealand Associate Director of the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum, Simon Le Quesne is a proud citizen of both Australia and New Zealand. He holds a First-Class Honours degree and a Master’s (with Distinction) degree in International Relations from Victoria University of Wellington, along with a TAFE (Technical and Further Education) Small Business Management Certificate. Notably, his MA Thesis, ‘Mixing Business with Politics: The Role and Influence of Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum’, was awarded the Sir Desmond Todd Memorial Prize for best MA thesis in 2011.


Simon's experience is multifaceted. He served six years as the Economic and Trade Analyst at the Australian High Commission in Wellington and recently returned from Sweden, where he ran his own business. He also has a background in the Australian transport, travel and music industries and currently sits on the Board of Trustees for a disability service. Simon is an intrepid traveller and has undertaken several overland journeys across the globe without air travel. He is particularly interested in the nexus of government and business in international trade, especially track two diplomacy.