John Garnaut is founder of GARNAUT GLOBAL, where he and his business partner Matt Pottinger assist clients to navigate the opaque world of Chinese elite politics and policymaking and anticipate shifts in the geopolitical and investment landscape.

John was Senior Advisor to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (2016) and Principal Advisor (International) at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2017), where he led the Australian Government’s interagency analysis and policy response to foreign interference, which catalysed a globally pioneering reassessment of China policy. Prior to that, John studied history, practiced as a financial services lawyer and worked in journalism, including six years as an award-winning China correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald (2007-13).

Since leaving Canberra in 2017, John has taken his analytical framework and insights to the private sector, helping financial institution, corporate and public sector clients to identify opportunities and anticipate and manage risks. His elite team of specialist researchers utilise their deep experience working with Chinese-language source materials to monitor political developments and policy initiatives, map Party organisation and personnel movements, explain history and ideology, track China’s expanding influence, and anticipate and analyse global policy responses. He also provides tailored consulting engagements and enhanced due diligence services.

John is the author of The Rise and Fall of the House of Bo (published by Penguin Books). He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and a fellow at Melbourne University.