Her Excellency Ms Julie-Ann Guivarra

2020 College Recipient, College of Business, Law and Governance

Ms Julie-Ann Guivarra graduated in 1997 from James Cook University with a Bachelor of Commerce, with Honours, and was recently appointed as Australia’s Ambassador for Gender Equality.

Ms Guivarra is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and at the time of her nomination, was the Australian Ambassador to Spain. She is a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman who was the first Indigenous officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to be promoted to the Senior Executive Service.

Abroad, she has served as Counsellor (Agriculture) at the Australian Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organisation, and Second Secretary at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi. Ms Guivarra has also served in a number of roles in Canberra and is one of a number of James Cook University alumni to have esteemed careers in the diplomatic service.