Helen Mitchell

Helen Mitchell is an economist and former diplomat, most recently one of a cadre of senior experts providing strategic advice to the Prime Minister and rest of government.

Helen previously advised the Australian Government on economic security issues at the Commonwealth Treasury and served Australia in New York, South Africa and Mexico with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

She is a Sir Roland Wilson PhD scholar at the Australian National University. Helen’s research draws on her expertise fusing economics, geopolitics and security for government. Economic security issues involve supply chains, growth and innovation as much as deterrence, commitment and pressure — Helen has developed a rigorous framework to guide policymakers through these issues. Helen's framework helps policymakers to identify and calibrate policies that move Australia towards desired economic security outcomes and find off-ramps away from unintended consequences or dangerous outcomes.

Helen holds a first class honours degree in Economics and an Arts degree from the University of Melbourne. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese.

You can hear Helen speaking about her research topics on the ANU’s National Security College podcast: A New Age of Economic Statecraft and How the Global Economy is Reshaping International Security.