Josh Riley has been appointed Commissioner for Victoria to North Asia and the state's inaugural First Nations Trade Envoy.
Based in Tokyo, Mr Riley will begin the role in October, representing Victoria globally by providing strategic advice and guidance on First Nations trade activities, capability building, and best practice.
In a social media post, Mr Riley — who most recently served as Australia's Consul General and Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner in Canada — said he was "thrilled" to be taking up the new position.
"I look forward to working with our team across Japan and South Korea on Victoria's trade, investment, and broader Government priorities," he said.
"I'm also incredibly humbled and honoured to have the opportunity to work with many incredible Victorian hashtag FirstNations businesses to explore export opportunities in key markets across the globe."
During his time in Canada, Mr Riley was the sector lead for both Ottawa and Washington, oversaw First Nations trade across the Americas, and contributed to the creation of the Australia-Canada Indigenous Economic Partnership.
A proud Wiradjuri man, he previously led economic development initiatives at the Business Council of Australia (BCA) and served as Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business in Toronto.
He also worked as Director of Corporate Citizenship at the BCA, where he helped launch Raising the Bar — a joint initiative with Supply Nation which committed 17 of Australia's largest companies to spending more than $3 billion with Indigenous suppliers.
Mr Riley brings experience across corporate, not-for-profit, and policy sectors, with a focus on Indigenous economic development.
In a statement, Global Victoria said: "Josh's global career spans trade, investment, banking, and Indigenous economic development, including sectoral experience across resources, energy, manufacturing, agrifood, technology, life sciences, and defence, which are critical sectors for Victoria's economic engagement with Japan and Korea."
