Richard Maude is a leading analyst of Indo-Pacific affairs and Australian foreign policy. He came to Asia Society after a 30-year career in the Australian Public Service, where he held senior foreign policy and national security roles and served overseas.

Richard was co-lead of the 2024 Independent Intelligence Review, a holistic examination of the performance of Australia’s intelligence community, and is a former member of the external board advising Australia’s Department of Defence on the implementation of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review (2023-4).

From 2018 to 2019, Richard was Deputy Secretary, Indo-Pacific Group, in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Australia’s senior official to the East Asia Summit.

Richard was head of the whole-of-government taskforce which supported the preparation of the then Australian Government’s 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper.

Richard was Director-General of the Office of National Assessments, Australia’s peak intelligence agency, from May 2013 until November 2016.

Before taking up this position, Richard was the senior adviser on foreign policy and national security issues to Prime Minister Julia Gillard (2010-2013).

Richard was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs in 2023.