Chief Executive Leanne Smith
Leanne Smith brings global human rights experience to lead strategic reform and institutional excellence.
About Leanne Smith
- Position
-
Chief Executive
- Term dates
-
November 2021 - present
Experience
Leanne Smith is an international human rights lawyer. She has worked in the Australian judicial system and as an Australian diplomat. Before joining the Commission, she was Executive Director of the Whitlam Institute between 2017-2021.
For over a decade, Leanne worked in various roles for the United Nations, where she led work on:
- protection of civilians
- conflict-related sexual violence
- protection of women and children
- community engagement
- peacebuilding.
Leanne also served with the UN in the field including in Afghanistan, the Balkans, Africa and Southeast Asia.
Roles and memberships
- Adjunct Fellow at the Western Sydney University School of Law
- Advisory Committee member of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law,
- Visiting fellow at the ANU Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy and the UNSW Australian Human Rights Centre
- Co-Chair of the Australian Lawyers for Human Rights Women and Girls Rights Subcommittee,
- Member of the Australian Republic Movement National Committee
- Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Association of Australia.