Meet our speaker - Alana Hudson

Alana Hudson

Alana Hudson

Embassy of New Zealand

Alana Hudson

Embassy of New Zealand

BIO

Alana Hudson is an experienced career diplomat, and took up her post in Poland in August 2021.

Her previous overseas postings have included the New Zealand Mission to the European Union, Brussels, and the New Zealand Mission to the World Trade Organisation, Geneva.

Between 2018 and 2021 Alana was Unit Manager within the Trade Negotiations Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with a special focus on services and digital trade issues, as well as international investment policy. In this role she was New Zealand’s senior official for the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (initially concluded with Singapore and Chile).

From 2015-2018 Alana was Lead Adviser and Unit Manager in the Americas Division, with a particular focus on Latin America. She oversaw the establishment of New Zealand’s Embassy in Bogota, Colombia and New Zealand’s relationship with the Pacific Alliance.

Alana’s wider career has had a strong trade policy focus. She has represented New Zealand at a range of WTO bodies (including regarding agriculture, wider goods trade, intellectual property, e-commerce, and was New Zealand’s lead negotiator for the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement).

She graduated with a Master of Commerce (First Class Honours) in International Business from the University of Auckland in 2001.