Damian brings over 20 years of experience in public policy, government relations and strategic advisory across Asia and the Middle East. He has been a trusted advisor to senior political leaders, worked closely with ministers and government agencies, and built deep networks across government, business and policy communities.As Regional Director for Southeast Asia at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Damian led multidisciplinary teams providing policy and strategic communications advice to the presidents of Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste, and the Prime Minister of Vietnam. He worked with national leaders, ministers and implementing agencies on economic development and investment attraction, digital trade and AI governance, energy security, and foreign policy.As Deputy Chief of Staff and Head of Policy to the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Damian helped shape and manage major defence strategy, policy and procurement decisions through Cabinet, the National Security Committee and budget processes. His work included the Australian Government’s National Defence Statement, the 2023 Defence Strategic Review and Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS.Damian has lived and worked in Asia and the Middle East as a diplomat and consultant for over a decade. In the Gulf, he worked with ministers, government agencies and state-owned enterprises on investment implementation, crisis management and strategic partnerships with Asia.He has also held key roles in the Australian foreign service and ministerial offices focused on trade, foreign affairs and economic engagement with Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council. He drove initiatives to deepen government engagement with business, helped devise and implement Australia’s economic diplomacy policy through embassies in Asia and the Middle East, and led Australia’s bilateral and ASEAN trade agenda at the Australian High Commission in Malaysia.Having been in the room when major decisions are made, Damian understands how governments think, how issues are framed and how policy moves from political intent to implementation. He applies this experience to help businesses, investors and institutions anticipate government priorities, navigate political and regulatory complexity, and align their strategic objectives with government agendas.

Asia Gulf Partners was founded on the belief that the Asia-Gulf corridor represents one of the world’s most significant emerging growth opportunities. It connects the Gulf’s capital, energy resources and ambitious national transformation agendas with Asia’s scale, technology, industrial capability and expanding markets.What makes this corridor distinctive is the central role of government. National development plans, sovereign investment, state-owned enterprises, regulation and political relationships all shape commercial outcomes. Realising the corridor’s potential therefore requires closer alignment between government priorities and the ambitions of businesses, investors and institutions.Our mission is to help organisations across Asia and the Gulf better engage and align with governments to achieve tangible and sustainable outcomes.We provide bespoke, partner-led support—from actionable political and regulatory intelligence that informs operational and investment decisions, to the design and implementation of transformative government engagement strategies that deliver measurable results.

• when markets price peace: the case of hormuz

• beyond hormuz: how emerging Asia can strengthen gulf food security

• can gulf sovereign capital help unlock the asian power grid?

• the Asia gulf corridor is growing through government vision and business ambition