Natasha Monks has deep knowledge of Western Australia’s investment and trade priorities, and extensive experience in delivering economic development outcomes for regional Western Australia.
Ms Monks was chief executive of the Great Southern Development Commission from February 2021 to July 2023 when she became the Investment and Trade Commissioner for the Americas region. She will be based in the new Invest and Trade WA office in Austin which will be operational from early 2024.
Prior to her current role at Great Southern Development Commission, Ms Monks was Australia’s trade commissioner to Peru and education sector lead for the Americas where she led a team based in Lima and across the Americas to drive business development, define and deliver real-time insights on commercial potential in mining, agribusiness, food, infrastructure and education. She was also managing Austrade's international education sector team and was trade commissioner to the Philippines, helping Australian business to expand into ASEAN. Prior to Austrade, Ms Monks has been involved in brand management, business development, operations, and marketing communications across multiple sectors in emerging and developed markets. She held regional manager and director level roles at global marketing communications agencies, founded an international business startup in Thailand, and led the development and delivery of the West Australian international education brand.
