Brendan Nelson

The Honourable Dr. Brendan Nelson AO
Director of the Australian War Memorial
In office 17 December 2012 – 23 December 2019
Preceded by	Steve Gower
Succeeded by	Matthew Anderson
Ambassador of Australia to Belgium, Luxembourg, the EU and NATO
In office 17 September 2009 – 10 October 2012
Preceded by	Alan Thomas
Succeeded by	Duncan Lewis
Leader of the Opposition
In office 3 December 2007 – 16 September 2008
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd
Deputy	Julie Bishop
Preceded by	Kevin Rudd
Succeeded by	Malcolm Turnbull
Leader of the Liberal Party
In office 29 November 2007 – 16 September 2008
Deputy	Julie Bishop
Preceded by	John Howard
Succeeded by	Malcolm Turnbull
Minister for Defence
In office 27 January 2006 – 3 December 2007
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	Robert Hill
Succeeded by	Joel Fitzgibbon
Minister for Education, Science and Training
In office 26 November 2001 – 27 January 2006
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	David Kemp
Succeeded by	Julie Bishop
Member of the Australian Parliament for Bradfield
In office 2 March 1996 – 19 October 2009
Preceded by	David Connolly
Succeeded by	Paul Fletcher
Personal details
Born	Brendan John Nelson (1958-08-19) 19 August 1958 (age 65) Coburg, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Liberal (after 1994)
Other political affiliations	Labor (until 1994)
Spouses	Deanna Nelson ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1982)​ Kate Nelson ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 1999)​ Gillian Adamson ​ ​ (m. 1999)​ [1]
Children	3
Education	Saint Ignatius' College
Alma mater	University of Adelaide Flinders University
Occupation	Medical practitioner (Self-employed)
Profession	General practitioner Politician

Brendan John Nelson AO (born 19 August 1958) is an Australian business leader and former politician. He served as the federal Leader of the Opposition from 2007 to 2008, going on to serve as Australia's senior diplomat to the European Union and NATO. He now has a global leadership role with Boeing, an aerospace company.

A medical doctor by profession, he came to public prominence as the Federal President of the Australian Medical Association (1993–95), and served as a Minister in the third and fourth terms of the Howard government, serving as Minister for Education, Science and Training (2001–06) and Minister for Defence (2006–2007).

Nelson was a member of the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2009, as the Liberal member for the Division of Bradfield in northern Sydney.

Following the 2007 federal election, at which the Howard government was defeated, Nelson was elected leader of the Liberal Party in a contest against former Minister for Environment and Water Resources Malcolm Turnbull, and became the Leader of the Opposition on 3 December 2007.^[2] On 16 September 2008, in a second contest following a spill motion, Nelson lost the leadership of the Opposition and the Liberal Party to Turnbull.^[3]

Nelson retired from politics in 2009,^[4] and was Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union and NATO from 2009 to 2012.^[5] He was then Director of the Australian War Memorial from 2012 to 2019, subsequently serving as its chair until the end of 2022.^[6]

In February 2020, Nelson was made the President of Boeing Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific.^[7] In September 2022, it was announced he would move to London to become President of Boeing International.^[8]