Frances Jennifer Adamson, (born 20 April 1961) is an Australian public servant and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or interna ...

who is the 36th

Governor of South Australia The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-gen ...

, in office since 7 October 2021.

Early life and education

Adamson was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

, the daughter of former politician

Jennifer Cashmore Jennifer Lilian Cashmore (born 5 December 1937) (previously, and for most of her political career, known as Mrs Jennifer Adamson) is a former Australian politician. She was a Liberal Party member of the South Australian House of Assembly betwee ...

and prominent Adelaide businessman Ian Adamson, and step-daughter of reporter

Stewart Cockburn Alexander Stewart Cockburn (16 October 1921 – 6 July 2009) was an Australian journalist, commentator and author from Adelaide, South Australia. History Cockburn was the only child of journalist Rodney Cockburn and his second wife, Ruby Ethel ...

. Her sister,

Christine Adamson Christine Elizabeth Adamson is an Australian judge. She has been a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales since October 2011. She was educated at Walford Anglican School for Girls and the University of Adelaide, where she graduated wit ...

is a

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

judge. Adamson was educated at the

Walford Anglican School for Girls , motto_translation = Courage and Truth , established = 1893 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , denomination = Anglican , slogan = , principal ...

and the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, where she received a

Bachelor of Economics The Bachelor of Economics (BEc or BEcon), or the "Bachelor of Applied Economics", is a bachelor's degree awarded by many universities and colleges for completion of an undergraduate program in economics, econometrics, or applied economics; th ...

. In 1984 she was the first female captain of the

Adelaide University Boat Club The Adelaide University Boat Club is a sport rowing, rowing club affiliated with the University of Adelaide. The club was founded in 1881, and in 1896 helped to form the Adelaide University Sports Association. The main clubrooms, donated by Rob ...

Career

Diplomatic career

Adamson joined the

Australian Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the ...

in 1985. She was an economist at the Australian Consulate-General in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

from 1987 to 1991, before moving to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

where she worked at the Australian High Commission to the United Kingdom as a political counsellor for five years. She returned to Australia to work for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra from 1998 until 2000, and then moved to

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

where she was Representative to the Australian Commerce and Industry Office for five years. She returned to London as Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2005 until 2008. While in London, Adamson met

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

Stephen Smith, who asked her to become his Chief of Staff. She took the role on condition that she could manage her young family, and that as a "career diplomat" she would not get involved in politics. When Smith moved to the

Defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

portfolio, she went with him. Between 2011 and 2015, Adamson held the post of Australian Ambassador to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, the first woman in the position. During her time there, the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement was negotiated and she has been credited with pushing the idea of partnership with the newly appointed

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...

, allowing the "political and diplomatic relationships" between the two countries to "finally" catch up with the economic one. In 2015, Adamson was appointed a foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...

. On 20 July 2016, she was appointed Secretary of the

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid (using the branding Australian Aid), consular services and trade and ...

(DFAT); the first female Secretary to be appointed to the portfolio. Adamson served as the ACT Division of the Institute of Public Administration President from 2017 to 2019 and outlined her views on public service in her final speech as President. She was made a National Fellow of IPAA in 2019.

Governor of South Australia

On 19 May 2021, it was announced by Premier

Steven Marshall Steven Spence Marshall (born 21 January 1968) is an Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of South Australia between 2018 and 2022. He has been a member of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in the ...

that Adamson would be succeeding Hieu Van Le as

in October 2021.Frances Adamson announced as South Australia's new governor, replacing Hieu Van Le – ABC News
''ABC News'', 19 May 2021 Following her nomination for Governor of South Australia, Adamson retired from the public service in June 2021. Foreign Minister

Marise Payne Marise Ann Payne (born 29 July 1964) is an Australian politician who served in the Morrison Government as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022 and as Minister for Women from 2019 to 2022. She has been a Senator for New South Wales s ...

said Adamson was one of "Australia's most accomplished and respected public servants and diplomats" and Marshall said her "wealth of knowledge on the international stage will put South Australia in good stead as we continue to put South Australia on the global map." Adamson was sworn in as

in a formal ceremony at

Government House, Adelaide Government House, located in Adelaide on the corner of North Terrace and King William Road, is the official residence of the governor of South Australia. History The original "Government Hut" was a thatched hut constructed by the seamen of ...

on 7 October 2021.

Awards and honours

In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours Adamson was appointed a

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

for "eminent service to public administration through the advancement of Australia's diplomatic, trade and cultural interests, particularly with the People's Republic of China and the Indo-Pacific region, to innovative foreign policy development and high level program delivery, and as the 36th Governor appointed in South Australia."

Personal life

Adamson met and married Rod Bunten, a British diplomat, when they were both posted in

. They have four children.

References

External links

Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, Frances 1961 births Living people Companions of the Order of Australia Governors of South Australia Australian public servants People from Adelaide Ambassadors of Australia to China University of Adelaide alumni Australian women ambassadors Representatives of Australia to Taiwan