Mr David Ritchie AO has had a distinguished diplomatic career. He served as Australian Ambassador to Germany (with non-resident accreditation to Switzerland and Liechtenstein) from 2013–16. Prior to that he was Ambassador to Italy from 2010–13 and Ambassador to Indonesia from 2002–05. Mr Ritchie was a Deputy Secretary of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in Canberra from 2001–02, and again from 2006–10. In 2005 Mr Ritchie received the award of Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for service to ensuring Australia’s long-term security interests in the region through efforts to gain cooperative action to address the threat of terrorism, and the Australian award of a Group Bravery Citation. In 2016 Mr Ritchie received the Grosses Bundesverdienstkreuz (Grand Cross of the Federal Order of Merit) from the President of Germany for services to bilateral relations between Germany and Australia, and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Queensland. Mr Ritchie served as Senior Adviser (International Relations) to the Prime Minister from 1999–2001.