Dr Merriden Varrall is the Lead for Geopolitics at KPMG Australia. Merriden provides business-relevant insights into global, regional and local geopolitical trends and works with clients to develop strategies to mitigate risk and maximise opportunities.
A former UN diplomat based in China, Merriden is a sought-after analyst on issues of geopolitics, East Asia, and China’s foreign policy.
From 2014-2018, Merriden was the Director of the East Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, where she is currently a Non-Resident Fellow. Before joining the Institute, Merriden was the Assistant Country Director and Senior Policy Advisor at United Nations Development Programme, China. Prior to that she worked for the Australian government.
Merriden has a PhD on Chinese foreign policy, a Master’s Degree in International Affairs, and a Bachelor of Political Science and International Studies. Her analyses have appeared in academic journals, as well as publications such as The Quarterly, The New York Times, Nikkei Asian Review, Foreign Policy, The East Asia Forum, and the Lowy Interpreter, among others.
