For this episode of The Good Oil Podcast, I sat down with Alon Roth, Israel’s Ambassador to New Zealand. What followed was one of the most insightful discussions we’ve had on the show.
Roth, a career diplomat with 40 years under his belt, was born in Haifa in 1961. His father, an electronics engineer working on Israel’s water systems, moved the family around the country. Roth served as an infantry officer in the IDF, studied surveying/engineering and then made the leap into diplomacy in the late-1980s.
His postings tell a story of hands-on impact: three formative years in Cameroon building aid and training programmes, work in the EU and European Parliament helping shape key agreements with Israel, service in Jordan experiencing the fruits of peace on the ground and senior roles in London and as Ambassador to Norway and Iceland. New Zealand is his first Pacific posting – and a fascinating contrast after years in Europe and the Middle East.
