Australia has announced the appointment of India-origin Harinder Sidhu as the new High Commisisoner-designate. Sidhu’s appointment was announced by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and she succeeds Patrick Suckling. She will be the second envoy from Australia with Indian roots. Suckling’s predecessor was Peter Varghese with a Kerala connection.

Currently, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma’s parents hail from Punjab, while Canadian High Commissioner Nadir Patel was born in Gujarat. Sidhu, whose parents belonged to Punjab, said she has always been fascinated by the country of her heritage and would dedicate herself to build the relationship further.

Sindhu, a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has been also serving as First Assistant Secretary of the Multilateral Policy Division. She has previously served overseas in Moscow and Damascus. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Economics degrees from the University of Sydney.

Australia has strong strategic and defence ties with India, conducting its first bilateral maritime exercises in 2015.