Ambassador Michael Thawley

Michael Thawley AO is a member of the US Studies Centre's Council of Advisors. Previously, he was a member of the Centre's Board of Directors. Thawley is Senior Vice President of Capital Research and Management Company and of Capital Strategy Research Inc, both members of the Capital Group companies.

From 2000 to 2005, Thawley served as Australia's ambassador to the United States. While he was ambassador, he played a leading role in achieving the Australia–US free trade agreement and US immigration legislation that provides visas for Australian professionals working in the United States. Following this, he was a Senior Executive at Capital Group, a major US funds management group between 2005 and 2014, where he had a variety of roles, including Vice Chairman of the boards of a number of global mutual funds in the American Funds family.

Thawley was the International Advisor to Australian Prime Minister John Howard from 1996 to 1999. Prior to this, he was Head of the International Division of PM&C under the previous Prime Minister, Paul Keating. Thawley entered the Australian public service in 1972, and served in a variety of government positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Office of National Assessments both in Australia and overseas, including Rome, Moscow, and Tokyo.

Thawley was the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) from 2014 to early 2016.