Louise Helen Hand is an Australian

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and is a senior career officer with the

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid (using the branding Australian Aid), consular services and trade and inv ...

. On 29 December 2011, the Acting

Minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

for Foreign Affairs, Martin Ferguson appointed Hand as the Australian High Commissioner to Canada, and she served in the role until January 2015. Prior to her Canadian appointment, Hand had been seconded to the

Department of Climate Change The Department of Climate Change was an Australian Government department that existed between 2007 and 2010. Operational activities The functions of the department were broadly classified into the following matters: *Development and co-ordinat ...

as the Ambassador for Climate Change (2009–2011), acting as the lead Australian negotiator within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and as head of the International Division in the Department. Hand has served overseas as Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy,

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

(2005 to 2009), Ambassador to Cambodia (2000 to 2003), Counselor, Australian Permanent Mission on Disarmament, Geneva (1995 to 1998), and Third later Second Secretary, Australian Embassy, Vienna (1986 to 1989). In

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, Hand has held the positions of First Assistant Secretary, Europe Division (2015-2017), Assistant Secretary, Arms Control Branch (1999 to 2000), Director, Ministerial and Executive Liaison Section (1999), Director, Business Affairs Unit (1993 to 1994) and Advisor to the Secretary (1992 to 1993). Hand studied for a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters Qualifying degree from the University of Queensland and she holds an MBA from Deakin University. She is married and has two daughters. In January 2009, she was awarded a Public Service Medal for her work in Indonesia.

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Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) University of Queensland alumni Deakin University alumni High Commissioners of Australia to Canada Recipients of the Public Service Medal (Australia) Ambassadors of Australia to Cambodia Australian women ambassadors {{australia-diplomat-stub