Tony Sheehan currently works as an independent national security consultant. He is a non-executive board member of Australian Volunteers International and had recent ASX board experience with Australia’s then biggest listed cyber security company, Tesserent.  

He worked in government for 32 years, most recently as Deputy Secretary at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) responsible for the International Security, Humanitarian, Consular, Middle East and Africa, and Legal Divisions.

Before that he was Commonwealth Counter-Terrorism Coordinator responsible for coordinating Australia’s Counter-Terrorism arrangements for the Prime Minister and working in close partnership with Commonwealth and State and Territory agencies. He was Chair of the Australia-New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee. 

Prior to that he was Deputy Director-General of ASIO. This followed several years as Deputy Secretary in the Attorney-General’s Department responsible for National Security, Criminal Justice and Emergency Management, and as Chief Operating Officer. He was a Commonwealth government representative at the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee.  Tony was also previously First Assistant Secretary Homeland and Border Security in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.  

Before this, he spent 19 years at DFAT with overseas postings to Taipei, Beijing and Jakarta.

Tony is a graduate of Monash University. He majored in Mandarin and English Literature.  He is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.