Meet Kevin
Kevin Rudd served as Australia’s 26th Prime Minister (2007-2010, 2013) and Foreign Minister (2010-2012). Kevin married Thérèse Rein in 1981. He is a father to three (Jessica, Nicholas and Marcus) and a grandfather to two (Josie and McLean).
Kevin was born in Nambour, Queensland and grew up on a farm nearby in Eumundi. After attending high school in Brisbane, Kevin went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) with first class honours at the Australian National University. It was here that his fascination with China began and he started learning Mandarin.
After university, Kevin joined the Department of Foreign Affairs, where he worked as a diplomat and received postings to Stockholm and Beijing. He returned to Australia to become Chief of Staff to Wayne Goss in the Queensland election campaign of 1989 and took on the role of Director-General of the Cabinet during Goss’ time as Premier. Kevin entered Parliament in 1998 after winning the seat of Griffith located in South-East Brisbane.
Kevin successfully led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 federal election after 11 years of in Opposition. While in office, Kevin’s government set into motion major reforms in domestic policy areas such as health, education, industrial relations, social security and infrastructure. He led Australia’s response to the Global Financial Crisis, reviewed by the IMF as the most effective stimulus strategy of all major economies. Australia was the only major developed economy not to go into recession. On 13 February 2008, Kevin delivered the National Apology to the Stolen Generations in Australia and committed to ‘closing the gap’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Kevin was also very active on the international stage where his considerable experience in foreign affairs assisted him to pursue numerous major policy achievements. These include making advances on climate change action, his role in the establishment of the G20 and diplomacy in moving towards an Asia-Pacific community through multilateral bodies such as the East Asia Summit, ASEAN and APEC.
Since leaving Australian politics in 2013, Kevin has continued to engage in international affairs. He has been appointed to many prominent roles such as a Visiting Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Distinguished Statesman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Distinguished Fellow at both Chatham House and the Paulson Institute at the University of Chicago. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Currently, Kevin serves as President of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York, a “think-do tank” dedicated to second track diplomacy to assist governments and business on policy challenges within Asia, and between Asia, the US and the West. In 2015, he was appointed Chair of Sanitation and Water for All, a UNICEF-supported organisation working towards universal access to clean water and adequate sanitation. He is also Chair of the International Commission on Multilateralism and Chair of the Board of International Peace Institute's Board of Directors.

2007 Federal Election Campaign- Kevin Rudd Wednesday 14 November 2007 Brisbane QLD . Mr Rudd and his wife Therese Rein at the family at home in their Brisbane. With children Jessica, Nicholas, Marcus and son in law Albert Tse.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION - ASIA AND THE WORLD
Kevin has been personally active in most major global institutions. From his beginnings at the Australian National University, Kevin reinforced his knowledge of Chinese language and culture through further studies in Taipei, Hong Kong and Beijing. He has been to China over 100 times and is viewed as a leading sinologist featuring regularly on the BBC, CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Fox News and the ABC as an expert commentator on East Asian affairs.
"There is nothing determinist about international relations. We decide on our futures between nations; just as we decide our futures between ourselves." - Intelligence Squared debate, 14 Oct 2015

Kevin Rudd and Xi Jinping during the 2010 Australia-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum Parliament House Canberra 21 June 2010
His time at the Department of Foreign Affairs gave him great insight into the workings of the international system and as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, he was active in regional and global foreign policy leadership. His first official act as Prime Minister was to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and he worked throughout his time in office to promote global action on climate change. He was a major player in establishing the G20 and worked to ensure Australia had a seat at the table of the leading global economic decision-making body. His government also saw Australia’s foreign aid budget increase to approximately $5 billion, making Australia one of the top ten aid donors in the OECD at the time. Kevin was also a driving force in expanding the East Asia Summit to include both the US and Russia in 2011, having in 2008 launched an initiative for the long-term development of a wider Asia Pacific Community. Kevin also advocated strongly for Australia’s successful bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2012-14.
"I remain an optimist about the UN’s future... I am inspired by the extraordinary contribution of the women and men working in the field today who are dedicated to this institution’s future and to its values." - UN address, October 2015

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signing a Memorandum of Understanding on Antarctic Cooperation and a Plan of Consultations on Bilateral Relations for 2012 - 2013.
In his role as Chair of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism, Kevin led a review of the UN system. He was also on the panel for the UN Secretary General’s report entitled ‘Resilient People, Resilient Planet’ prepared for the Rio Plus 20 Conference in 2012. This was among the first UN reports to recommend the development of the sustainable development goals.
At the Harvard Kennedy School he completed a major policy paper ‘U.S.-China 21: The Future of U.S.-China Relations Under Xi Jingping’ and he delivered a lecture series titled ‘China under Xi Jinping: Alternative Futures for U.S.-China Relations’, published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Kevin is also a member of the Comprehensive Test Ban Organization’s Group of Eminent Persons
As President of the Asia Society Policy institute, Kevin has spoken at length about China under Xi Jinping and recently has focused on approaches to managing China’s relations with the West, particularly the US, as its power and influence expands. He also comments frequently on the tensions on the Korean peninsula.
PEACE, SECURITY, AND COUNTER-TERRORISM
Kevin has a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, and he has worked to understand the type of practical intelligence, security and social intervention strategies that are most effective in dealing with this threat to the entire international community.
As Shadow Foreign Minister, Kevin helped lead the Australian Opposition Government's campaign against Australian participation in the invasion of Iraq. He stated explicitly in parliament at the time that the US decision to invade Iraq was in violation of the UN Security Council and created dangerous precedents for the future. He also argued that the Iraq invasion could not be justified on the grounds of "counter-terrorism." When elected, he withdrew Australian forces from Iraq.
As Prime Minister he led a re-definition of Australia's role in Afghanistan, including Australia's particular responsibility for Uruzgan Province. In Afghanistan, the Australian presence not only trained the 4th Brigade of the Afghan National Army, but also undertook large scale programs in: the education of women and girls, the building of mosques with schools attached, basic health care and improving road infrastructure.
Kevin is the Chair of the International Peace Institute's Board of Directors, a think tank dedicated to promoting the prevention and resolution of conflicts between and within states by strengthening international peace and security institutions.
Through his current work, Kevin tries to explore how changing dynamics in the international sphere will affect security issues and emphasises diplomacy’s role in bringing about peace.