george Hampton

George Hampton is currently the Senior Advisor to the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All.

George was previously a New Zealand diplomat based at the New Zealand Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. He has served as Campaign Adviser to UN Secretary-General candidate Helen Clark, a Political Advisor to the New Zealand Prime Minister, and Private Secretary to the New Zealand Cabinet Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control.

From 2015 to 2016 George was a New Zealand peace and security expert to the UN Security Council in New York. From 2011 to 2014 he was New Zealand’s Deputy Permanent Representative and Deputy Ambassador to the UN in Vienna, Austria.  During his time in the foreign ministry George had desks on trade, Asia-Pacific and international security.

George was a Fulbright Scholar to Columbia University where he was a teaching fellow for innovation in public management. In 2013, George was named one of 20 young strategists globally by Johns Hopkins University and the International Institute of Strategic Studies.  In 2017, he was selected as a Carnegie New Leader by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. In 2006, he was selected as a New Zealand Future Leader by the New Zealand Leadership Institute at Auckland University Business School.

George previously served as president of a students' union, on a university council, and on the boards of a nation-wide tertiary education regulator and Student Job Search New Zealand. He has also served on the boards of a bookshop, radio station and a food and beverage retailer.

George holds degrees in law, history, diplomacy and international relations (First Class Honours), and a Master's degree in international economic policy and management.