Our Patron

About Admiral Chris Barrie

Admiral Chris Barrie has worked at an elite level in government as the Chief of The Australian Defence Force (CDF). He is an expert in strategic Leadership and continues to teach and mentor the next generation of leaders in complex and diverse organisations. As CDF he played a key role in the international operation to secure East Timor and provided specialised security support for the Sydney Olympic Games (2000). He served in the Royal Australian Navy for 42 years and advised the government about specific roles for Australia’s armed forces after the 9/11 tragedy.

Since retiring, Admiral Barrie has worked on strategic leadership issues as a consultant, teacher and mentor at Oxford University, the National Defence University in Washington DC, and at the Australian National University.

At ANU Admiral Barrie is Chair of the London Foundation, and a Director in the Tuckwell Foundation. He teaches on campus and at the Australian Command and Staff College and has facilitated induction courses for new APS entrants into the Department of Defence. He has also co-facilitated executive education courses for the National Security College on risk.

He is the Chair of PTSD Australia New Zealand, which has launched FearLess Outreach to assist all Australians and New Zealanders who have post-traumatic stress or live with people who have it.

He became very concerned about climate change matters in 2006 after which he has taken to advocacy action to raise awareness of the potential costs of inaction. In 2015 he was an author of a Report for the Climate Council on “Climate Change, Security and the ADF”. Admiral Barrie is also a member of the Global Military Advisory Council on Climate Change (GMACCC).

Admiral Barrie has a wealth of experience in conducting demanding scenario exercises to complement coursework. He has very generously donated a significant amount of his time to assist our team in developing realistic, immersive and challenging simulations for the Summit.