John ML Woods PSM is former Australian Ambassador who has served more than forty years of diplomatic service across the Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North Africa and the Americas.

John served as Australian Ambassador to Peru from September 2010 to September 2014, where he re-opened the Australian Embassy in Lima. He was accredited as non-resident Ambassador to Bolivia from 2012 to 2014. His first assignment as Ambassador was to Venezuela from 2000-2003 with non-resident accreditation to Colombia, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. He directed Australia’s relations with Canada and Latin America in DFAT Canberra between 2006 and 2010 after serving as DFAT’s State Director in Victoria in 2003 and 2004. He has served in Australia’s diplomatic missions in New Delhi, London, Cairo and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and has worked in Canberra in a range of areas, including managing relations with Japan, Korea and the United Nations. He established Australia’s APEC Studies Centre in Melbourne in 1995. John now lectures and coordinates International Policy Making in Practice in Melbourne University’s Masters in International Relations program and consults on Latin American issues. He is Vice-chair for Victoria in the Australia Latin America Business Council (ALABC) and a member of the Council of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.