Bede Corry

Bede Gilbert Corry (born 11 February 1964) is a New Zealand diplomat and public servant. He currently serves as New Zealand's ambassador to the United States and will take up the position of chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 30 June 2024.

Previously, Corry served as High Commissioner for New Zealand in the United Kingdom (2020–2022) and New Zealand's ambassador to Thailand (2009–2012).

Early life
Corry grew up in the Taupō–Rotorua area. He is the eighth of ten children to Marie (née Gordon) and John Corry, who was a lawyer and Hong Kong magistrate. Corry studied at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts with first-class honours.

Career
Corry began his public service and diplomatic career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1989, working in the Europe division. He was posted to the New Zealand High Commission in Canberra from 1992 to 1995. He was private secretary to foreign ministers Don McKinnon and Phil Goff from 1997 to 2000. While working for McKinnon, Corry was a leading figure in the Bougainville peace process and personally escorted representatives from the Bougainville Transitional Government to Christchurch for peace talks in 1997.

Corry was posted to New Zealand's United States embassy in Washington, D.C. as a counsellor from 2000 to 2004. Returning to New Zealand, he was appointed director of the chief executive's office and director of the Ministry's Australian division. In 2009, he succeeded Brook Barrington in the post of Ambassador to Thailand which he held until 2012.

Corry succeeded Barrington a second time in the position of deputy secretary for policy and planning at the Ministry of Defence from 2012 to 2014. He then returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as deputy secretary for Australia, Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa until 2015, and deputy chief executive for policy until 2020.

Corry was posted to the London as high commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2020 to 2022 and thereafter returned to Washington as New Zealand ambassador to the United States.

He was appointed Chief Executive and Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade in March 2024 and will take up that position on 30 June, succeeding acting chief executive Brook Barrington. This was Corry's third application for the position, having been unsuccessful in 2015 (to Barrington's first appointment) and in 2018 (to Chris Seed).