Speakers

Sir Crawford Falconer

Consultant

Crawford has spent most of his professional career working on international trade and investment inside government and out. 

He was new Zealand's Ambassador to the WTO 2005-8, and its lead official on trade negotiations and trade policy 2009-11. When the UK left the EU, he was hired in 2017 by the UK Government as their lead official on trade policy and trade negotiations 2017-2025.

In his personal capacity he has been the Chair of a number of WTO and OECD bodies, including Chairs of the WTO Agriculture and Cotton negotiations in the Doha Round. He has been an independent judge in around 20 international trade disputes. He worked for several years at the OECD and as a Professor at Lincoln University. He has written a number of trade pieces including a book with Sir Frank Holmes in 1992 on a future strategy for Asia-Pacific trade which foreshadowed CPTPP by some15 years. He was Knighted for his services to international trade in 2024.

After leaving the UK Government in 2025 he was a consultant and commentator in the UK until he returned to New Zealand at the end of July. He is currently acting as a consultant to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.