Ian Kemish AM served as Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Ambassador to Germany, Head of the Prime Minister's international division, and Head of the consular service in a diplomatic career that spanned twenty-five years. He was awarded membership of the Order of Australia for his leadership of Australia's response to the 2002 Bali bombings. Ian moved to the private sector in 2013, working over the next seven years in executive roles in Washington and Melbourne, to manage and reform social, environmental and stakeholder responsibilities for companies with international operations. In 2020 he and his wife, Roxanne Martens, established Forridel, a firm that supports businesses working in the Indo-Pacific with advice on strategic and sustainability issues. He is an adjunct Professor in history at the University of Queensland, a non-resident fellow with the Lowy Institute, a director of the Australia-Indonesia Centre and an Honorary Fellow of Deakin University. He also represents the World Bank's Global Partnership for Education in Australia and the Pacific, and chairs both the Kokoda Track Foundation and the '3rd Space' support centre for people experiencing homelessness in Brisbane.