Brendan Thomas
Brendan Thomas is the Chief Executive Officer of AUSTRAC, Australia’s financial intelligence and anti-money laundering regulator. Appointed in January 2024, he brings over 20 years of public sector leadership and a strong focus on justice reform. As a proud Wiradjuri man, he combines cultural insight with strategic innovation to protect Australia’s financial system from criminal exploitation.
Bio
Education
Thomas built a solid academic foundation early in his career. Between 1993 and 1996, he completed a Bachelor of Arts at Macquarie University, where he developed a passion for social equity and governance. In 2016, he advanced his executive education at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, focusing on strategic leadership and policy innovation. Additionally, his fellowship at the Australian and New Zealand School of Government reflects his long-standing contribution to public administration. Together, these achievements demonstrate his dedication to continuous learning and informed leadership.
Professional Career
Over the past 20 years, Thomas has held senior roles across Australia’s justice and community sectors. He began his career as Executive Officer at the NSW Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council, helping design policies to reduce Indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system. Later, he served as Deputy Secretary at both the NSW Department of Justice and the Department of Communities and Justice, leading programs focused on reform, victim support, and restorative practices. Before joining AUSTRAC, he was CEO of Legal Aid NSW, where he drove digital transformation and strengthened access to justice. Throughout his career, Thomas has combined empathy with strategic direction to deliver systemic, lasting change.
Innovation
As CEO of AUSTRAC, Thomas is spearheading the modernization of Australia’s AML/CTF regime under the new “T2” reforms. These updates will extend regulatory oversight to nearly 80,000 additional entities, including lawyers, accountants, and real estate agencies, by mid-2026. Moreover, he is driving innovation through AI-enabled analytics, intelligence-sharing partnerships via the Fintel Alliance, and enhanced monitoring of high-risk sectors such as cryptocurrency. His approach balances firm enforcement with practical compliance support, ensuring businesses can adapt while maintaining integrity.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, Thomas plans to strengthen AUSTRAC’s agility and readiness against evolving financial threats. He aims to expand regulatory powers over digital assets and high-risk crypto services while supporting innovation through collaboration. Furthermore, he emphasizes the importance of partnerships between regulators, industry, and law enforcement to disrupt financial crime networks more effectively. Under his leadership, AUSTRAC seeks not only to meet international Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards but also to protect communities from the broader harms of illicit finance. Through this vision, Brendan Thomas continues to position AUSTRAC as a global leader in financial intelligence and compliance excellence.