Penny Williams (born in Wynyard, Tasmania, 22 January 1964) is an Australian

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

and

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 ...

. She is the current Australian Ambassador to Indonesia. From 2007 to 2010, Williams was Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia.

Life and career

Born in Tasmania, Williams' mother was a teacher. Penny Williams joined 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 ...

(DFAT) in 1988 as a graduate of the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Arts in Asian studies and a Masters of applied anthropology and participatory democracy. Earlier, before becoming a student at ANU, in 1981–82 she had spent time in Indonesia as an exchange student at th
Sekolah Menengah Atas (SMA) 1 PSKD school
(''Perkumpulan Sekolah Kristen Djakarta'' Senior High School No 1) near the University of Indonesia in Salemba in Central

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 ...

Diplomatic career

After joining DFAT, Williams had postings to

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

(1992–1994) and to Santiago, Chile (1997–2000). Williams represented Australia as High Commissioner to Malaysia from 2007 to 2010, her first ambassadorial posting. From 2011 to 2013 she was Australia's Global Ambassador for Women and Girls, the first appointee to that position. As Ambassador for Women and Girls, Williams advocated to end domestic violence, empower women and increase representation of women in leadership roles globally. Her first overseas visit as Ambassador for Women and Girls to Southeast Asia in 2012 included a visit to Indonesia. She was also often invited to make public appearances, including on the media, to discuss women's issues. Williams was later appointed a Deputy Secretary in DFAT in February 2017, first in charge of the International Security, Humanitarian and Consular Group, and after April 2018 with responsibilities for the Services Delivery Group in the Department. Williams was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2015 for "outstanding public service in the role of Australia's inaugural Global Ambassador for Women and Girls". In April 2021, Williams was appointed Australian ambassador designate to Indonesia replacing Gary Quinlan who had been Australian ambassador in Jakarta since February 2018. She presented credentials to President

Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the 7th and current president of Indonesia. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elite ...

on 1 September 2021.Dian Septiari,
Australia's first woman envoy in Jakarta begins term'
''The Jakarta Post'', 2 September 2021. She is the first Australian woman ambassador to Indonesia and the first Australian ambassador to Indonesia to be fluent in Indonesian.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Penny Living people High Commissioners of Australia to Malaysia Australian National University alumni Recipients of the Public Service Medal (Australia) Australian women ambassadors Ambassadors of Australia to Indonesia 1964 births