Dave Sharma
| His Excellency Dave Sharma | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Australia Ambassador to Israel | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 8 August 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Andrea Faulkner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1976 (age 38–39) Vancouver, Canada |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Spouse(s) | Rachel |
| Children | Three |
| Residence | Tel Aviv |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge Sydney Medical School Deakin University |
| Occupation | Senior career officer with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
| Profession | Diplomat |
Devanand "Dave" Sharma (born 1976) is an Australian diplomat and senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).[1]
In May 2013 Sharma was appointed the Australian Ambassador to Israel where he is currently serving.[1] His appointment, at the age of 37, makes him the youngest person to be appointed as an Australian Ambassador[2] and the second Australian Ambassador of Indian heritage.[3]
Early life and education
Sharma is of Indian heritage and was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1976.[3] His family moved to Parramatta, New South Wales, in 1979. Reflecting on his initial years in Australia Sharma told the Australian Indian Herald in May 2013, "we were the only Sharma's [sic] in the whole of white pages of Australia"[3]
Sharma attended secondary school at Turramurra High School in Sydney. He graduated in 1993 coming top the state in the Higher School Certificate, with the highest possible Tertiary Entrance Rank of 100.[4]
Sharma studied law at Cambridge University after school[2][5] then returned to Australia to study medicine at Sydney Medical School. Sharma then completed a master's degree in international relations at Deakin University.[2][3]
Career
Sharma has held a number of posts within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) including:[1]
- Assistant Secretary in DFAT's Africa Branch
- Acting First Assistant Secretary in the International Division of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
- Adviser to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer from 2004–2006
- Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in Washington
- Third Secretary at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
- Senior Civilian Adviser with the Peace Monitoring Group in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
Ambassador to Israel
Sharma was appointed the Ambassador to Israel by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bob Carr, on 16 May 2013[6][7] replacing Andrea Faulkner.[8] Sharma presented his credentials to Israeli President Shimon Peres on 8 August 2013.[9]
His appointment as an ambassador at the age of 37 makes him the youngest person to be appointed as an Australian Ambassador.[2][4] He is the second Australian Ambassador of Indian heritage, the first being Peter Varghese.[2][3]
Sharma and his wife Rachel's visit to Ziv Medical Center in Zefat, Israel, meeting with casualties of the Syrian civil war made him the first international representative to visit casualties of the war.[10]
Personal life
Sharma is married to Rachel and has three daughters.[3][4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Ambassador to Israel". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australian Government. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Indian-origin Australian appointed envoy to Israel". The Times of India (India: India Times). 2 June 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Australia's youngest Ambassador is of Indian Heritage". Indian Herald (Australia). 29 May 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Murray, Oliver (23 May 2013). "Building ties and sharing knowledge Dave Sharma Australia's new ambassador to Israel". North Shore Times (North Shore Region, New South Wales: Daily Telegraph). Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- ↑ "Our man in Tel Aviv". J-Wire. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- ↑ Carr, Bob (16 May 2013). "Ambassador to Israel" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 11 February 2014.
- ↑ Herb, Keinon (16 May 2013). "Diplomat Dave Sharma named as new Aussie envoy". The Jerusalem Post (Jerusalem, Israel: Palestine Post Ltd). Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- ↑ "Australia appoints new ambassador to Israel". J-Wire. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- ↑ "Getting to know you...". J-Wire. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- ↑ "Australian ambassador visits Syrian patients in Israeli hospital". J-Wire. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Andrea Faulkner |
Australian Ambassador to Israel 2013 – |
Incumbent |
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