Leadership Dialogue Honouree 2011

The inaugural 2010 Leadership Dialogue Honour was presented in Washington DC by Bob Zoellick to Dick Woolcott. The 2011 Leadership Dialogue Honour will be presented by Kevin Rudd at the 2011Leadership Dialogue Gala Dinner with introductory remarks by Peter Costello. Bob Zoellick participatedin the inaugural Australian American Leadership Dialogue in Washington DC, June 1993, and has beena regular and highly valued supporter of the Leadership Dialogue ever since.

Bob has been one of the most respected US leaders in Australia over the past quarter century, and asPresident of the World Bank plays a pivotal role in global institutions of which Australia is a member,such as the G20. He has worked closely with Australian governments led by successive Prime MinistersHawke, Keating, Howard, Rudd, and Gillard. Bob was introduced to the Leadership Dialogue by DickWoolcott.

As US Trade Representative he delivered the seminal keynote address to the July 2002 LeadershipDialogue Gala Dinner at the State Department and went on to successfully negotiate the bilateral FreeTrade Agreement which came into effect, January 2005.

Bob is one of the most accessible global leaders for Australian public and private sector leaders and iswell attuned to addressing issues with Australian national interests in mind. From day one, Bob hasunderstood and promoted the Leadership Dialogue mission to facilitate bipartisan understandingbetween Australian and US leaders on matters of greatest concern to Australia.

Bob Zoellick personally embodies pursuit of the mutuality principle, which in any asymmetricalrelationship such as the Australia-USA relationship is highly prized by the smaller partner. Bob’s humandecency and integrity walk in front of him, and he has been a consistent adornment of the LeadershipDialogue.

It is our privilege to invite Bob to accept the 2011 Leadership Dialogue Honour to be presented by KevinRudd and Peter Costello on our collective behalf.

Phil Scanlan
Founder
Australian American Leadership Dialogue