Peter Varghese

Peter Varghese began as Chancellor of The University of Queensland in 2016, and is now serving his second term. Previous senior appointments included High Commissioner to India (2009–2012), High Commissioner to Malaysia (2000–2002), Director-General of the Office of National Assessments (2004–2009), and Senior Advisor (International) to the Prime Minister of Australia (2003–2004). Mr Varghese was the author of a comprehensive India Economic Strategy to 2035 commissioned by the Australian Prime Minister and submitted in July 2018. Mr Varghese was educated at The University of Queensland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours and a University Medal in history in 1978. He was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in 2010 and received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from The University of Queensland in 2013. Mr Varghese is Chair of the Asialink Council and sits on the boards of CARE Australia and North Queensland Airports. He is also on the international governing board of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. He was awarded the Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop Asialink Medal in 2019 in recognition of outstanding contributions to improving Australia-Asia relations. Mr Varghese is an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.