Brendan Pearson, a former CEO of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), the peak lobby group for (you guessed it) miners, was appointed ambassador to the OECD at the end of last year.
Pearson resigned from the MCA in 2017, after BHP Billiton put its membership in the organisation up for review following Pearson’s advocacy for new coal power stations to be built in Australia. Pearson’s position was considered by BHP to be contrary to the Paris agreement.
Pearson then landed a gig as the Prime Minister’s Senior Adviser in International – Trade and Investment, which he only left for his OECD post.
Callum Foote was a reporter for Michael West Media for four years.