Ms Tessa Sullivan OAM

Ms Tessa Sullivan OAM is an award-winning diplomat, lawyer, journalist and human rights advocate. She is the first Thai person to receive the Order of Australia, the first Thai to be elected into Australian Government, the first female politician to lead the #MeToo Movement and the first and only Thai female to be appointed Honorary Consul to the Kingdom of Thailand.

In 2020, Ms Sullivan was named “40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians” by Asialink at University of Melbourne.  In 2023, Ms Sullivan won the Community Advocacy Award at Asia Society Gamechangers and is a recipient of the Marjorie Glasson Award from Methodist Ladies College.

In 2025, Ms Sullivan was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for community service across a range of organisations and the Gold award in the "Disability Inclusion Impact" category at the Women Changing the World Global Awards.

Ms Sullivan is on the board of Asia Society Patron’s Circle, Blind Sports and Recreation at Vision Victoria, the Chair of the International Student Advisory Committee at the North American Australian Lawyers Alliance and an Ambassador for NOW.

Ms Sullivan was born and raised in Thailand, educated in Australia, France, Italy, Singapore and America and has a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and a Master of Laws (Juris Doctor) from Monash University; a Diploma of Legal Practice from Australian National University and a Master of Liberal Arts (Journalism) from Harvard University. She is proud to be a mum, a woman of colour and a person with a disability.