Our executive

Dr Paul Grimes brings diverse public sector experience to his role as the Chief Executive Officer of Austrade, spanning senior appointments across state, territory and federal levels of government.

In addition to previously serving as Secretary of the NSW Department of Treasury, and NSW Coordinator-General for Environment, Energy and Science, he is a former Secretary of the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, and Secretary of the Australian Government Department of Agriculture.

Earlier, Dr Grimes was Associate Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Deputy Secretary (Budget Group) in the Australian Department of Finance. He has also served as Chief Executive of the ACT Department of Treasury and as Deputy Under Treasurer (Deputy Secretary) in the South Australian Department of Treasury and Finance. Before joining the South Australian public service, he led the Budget Policy Division in the Australian Treasury.

Dr Grimes is a former Chair of the NSW Net Zero Commission and National Archives of Australia Advisory Council. He has served on numerous boards, most recently as Deputy Chair of the NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp), as a member of the Infrastructure NSW Board, and the Greater Cities Commission.

In 2010, Dr Grimes was awarded the Australian Public Service Medal. He holds PhD and Masters degrees in economics from the Australian National University.

Deputy CEO, Policy and Programs

Dara Williams

Dara joined Austrade in October 2024 as Deputy CEO, Policy and Programs. Based in Canberra, she leads the agency's economic analysis and evaluation, marketing and global communications, grant programs, simplified trade system and visitor economy functions. 

Prior to joining Austrade, Dara was at the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. Dara oversaw programs to stimulate Australian research and development and encourage venture capital investment. Her earlier roles include Deputy Head of the Australian Space Agency (2022-24) and various senior positions in the National Intelligence Community (2016-22). 

From 1997 to 2015, Dara was a career diplomat at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She was Minister-Counsellor (Political) at the Australian Embassy Tokyo (2012-15), with an earlier posting to Australia’s Permanent Delegation to the World Trade Organisation in Geneva (1999-2002). 

Dara has undergraduate degrees in law and economics and a masters in international relations. She speaks and reads Japanese proficiently.  

Deputy CEO, Trade and Investment

Daniel Boyer

Daniel is Deputy CEO, Trade and Investment, where he is responsible for the global network supporting Australian exporters to expand internationally, and attracting productive international investment.

Daniel joined Austrade in 2014 leading the Government and Partnerships Division. He was later appointed Austrade’s General Manager and Minister (Commercial) for Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Daniel led a team of 100 staff across 12 posts to deliver high quality trade and investment services to Australian and Chinese clients.

Prior to joining Austrade, Daniel worked in a number of Australian Government Agencies. This included the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (now Department of Home Affairs). Based in Beijing as Regional Director East Asia, Daniel was responsible for visa operations across North Asia and the Mekong economies.

Daniel holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Tasmania, and is passionate about diversity and inclusion.

Chief Operating Officer

Melissa Woodburn

Melissa Woodburn commenced as the Chief Operating Officer of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) in December 2022.

Melissa previously held senior leadership roles at the National Disability Insurance Agency, including the Chief Risk Officer and General Manager Finance and Corporate Services. Prior to joining the Australian Public Service, Melissa held senior leadership positions at large professional services firms.

Melissa is a highly experienced Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in financial and corporate management, organisational performance and public sector reform.

Melissa holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) and a Bachelor of Marketing from the University of South Australia and is a Chartered Accountant.