Simon Haines

Professor Simon Haines has been the founding CEO of the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation since 2017. He is a distinguished scholar, teacher and author, and lifelong advocate for the humanities. Educated in Iraq, England and Australia, with a BA from the Australian National University and a DPhil from the University of Oxford, Simon Haines began his career as a banker in London and then served as a diplomat and analyst with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of National Assessments. He led the OECD Budget Committee as Chairman from 1985-1987. He was Reader in English, Head of English and later Head of Humanities at the Australian National University, where he taught from 1990 to 2008. From 2009 to 2020 he was Chair Professor of English at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he also served as Director of the Research Centre for Human Values. He is a founding member of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities. Currently Adjunct Professor at the Australian Catholic University, he is the author or editor of five books and many articles on aspects of Western literature and philosophy.