The UK department for international trade (DIT) has hired Crawford Falconer as chief trade negotiation adviser.

Falconer will lead trade policy and the development of trade negotiation capability at the DIT. He will advise the UK government on trade negotiation and strategy, and take on the role as principal adviser to international trade secretary Liam Fox.

Falconer will engage with international  trade counterparts to develop key strategic relationships, and will personally oversee trade negotiations on behalf of ministers.

He will also act as the new head of profession for trade negotiators within the UK civil service – building, recruiting and strengthening the department’s specialist trade and negotiation capability.

A New Zealand/UK dual-national, Crawford has over 25 years of public service in trade and foreign affairs. He was previously professor of global value chains and trade at Lincoln University.

This follows a long career at New Zealand’s foreign office, as deputy secretary for international trade and foreign affairs. He has also served in the OECD, as New Zealand ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and been a judge on over 15 WTO international trade disputes.

Commenting on the new hire, Fox says: “Crawford Falconer brings a wealth of international trade expertise to our international economic department. His direct experience in global trade will prove invaluable as we build our future trading arrangements with the rest of the world.”

Falconer says: “With 90% of new trade coming from outside the EU in the next decades, this is an immensely exciting time to join the department, and I look forward to preparing for the important negotiations ahead.”