Prior to commencing in the role of Ambassador for Women and Girls, Christine Clarke worked with the Pacific Gender Section in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on Reserve Service following completion of her lengthy full time Navy career in June 2021. Christine served as Australia’s Defence Adviser and Attaché to New Zealand, Cook Islands and Chile between 2018 and 2021. Christine has held many senior Navy and Australian Defence Force roles and executive committee positions including Head of the ADF Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Office and served as Commanding Officer of HMAS Kuttabul. She was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross in the Australia Day Honours List in 2013 for excellence in leadership.
As a committed LGBTQI+ ally, Christine led the Department of Defence contingent in the Sydney Mardi Gras on two occasions. She is also a strong advocate for women’s rugby and cricket. Christine holds a Master of Human Resource Management (Organisational Change) from Charles Sturt University, a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from the New South Wales Institute of Technology and is an Australian Human Resources Institute medallist.