Mchael Pezzullo was appointed as the 19th occupant of the office of Chief Executive of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service on 15 February 2013 (prior to July 1995, the position was known as Comptroller-General of Customs). He was appointed as the acting CEO on 6 September 2012. He took up the position of Chief Operating Officer of the Service in July 2009. In that position, he was responsible for corporate support, strategy, maritime security and border-related intelligence and national security programmes.

Before joining the Service, he was Deputy Secretary Strategy in the Department of Defence, from January 2006. In that role, he was responsible for strategy and planning, the policy aspects of ADF operations and international relationships, export controls and counter-proliferation, and the Department’s ministerial support and public affairs activities. Between February 2008 and May 2009 he led the Defence White Paper team and was also the principal author of the 2009 Defence White Paper.

He joined the Department of Defence as a graduate in 1987. He worked in Defence until 1992 in a variety of policy and intelligence positions. He then transferred to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, where he worked in the International Division on trade issues, including APEC. In March 1993, he joined the staff of the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Gareth Evans QC. He remained in Parliament House until December 2001, including serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Kim Beazley MP.

In February 2002, he rejoined the Department of Defence as an Assistant Secretary with responsibility for defence property management and planning. In March 2004, he was promoted to First Assistant Secretary with responsibility for Defence infrastructure, property and environment. In July 2004, he conducted the Defence inquiry into the issue of ADF knowledge of allegations of abuse of Iraqi detainees. Later that month, he was transferred into the role of Chief of Staff Australian Defence Headquarters and First Assistant Secretary Coordination and Public Affairs Division.

Mr Pezzullo has a BA(Hons) in History from Sydney University. He enjoys being with his family, cricket, rugby league, mountain trekking, and reading (military history and strategy, international relations, intelligence, political biography and philosophy).