Decoupling, a term used to describe a reduction in the trade relationship between two previously connected economies, is the hot topic in international trade circles.

But 11 years ago, it was a more personal kind of decoupling that led trade lawyer James Munro to apply for a position 17,000 kilometres away at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva.

“The timing coincided with a break-up,” Munro says. “Moving across the world just happened to be appealing at that particular moment.”

Postings at the WTO, an international intergovernmental organisation with a goal of freer trade, are open to applicants from any of its 166 member nations, so positions are highly competitive.

Munro’s recruitment process involved flying from Canberra to Geneva for a day to undertake a 90-minute oral exam, a three-and-a-half-hour written exam and finally a psychometric test.

“I left the building thinking, ‘what has just happened?’. I thought I totally bombed.”

To his surprise, Munro received an offer, which, in large part, he puts down to the experience he gained at the Office of International Law within the Attorney General’s Department, where he advised on the compatibility of domestic law with international trade and investment rules.

Munro is now a lawyer at the WTO Secretariat, where he provides legal assistance to adjudicators on international trade disputes.

“This is where one government of a WTO member is alleging that another WTO member is not acting consistently with international trade rules.”

In between stints at the WTO, Munro has also worked at DFAT on free trade agreement negotiations with Indonesia and India, and ran the legal practice at the Anti-Dumping Commission.

On whether current trade tensions have changed his role, he is coy – he takes seriously his duty to remain impartial as an international civil servant.

“I can’t say too much beyond that, but you can imagine it gives a ringside seat to some of the most interesting issues that are arising in international relations at any given time.”

Still, in a workplace as international as the WTO, some moments test his neutrality.

“I had a friendly disagreement with an Indian colleague about whether Australia or India had better mangoes. She brought me back a crate of mangoes from India last week to prove they were the best. That’s kind of nice. ”

It’s a generous gift in Geneva, where the cost of living is high. The morning of our interview – already off to a bad start because of a stolen bike – Munro laments paying 5 Swiss francs ($9.35) for a black coffee.

“I just don’t convert any more. I refuse to acknowledge the exchange rate.”

There are also upsides. A treaty means Munro pays no income tax on his already impressive salary, he receives a generous six weeks of leave each year, and can swim in Lake Geneva, the pristine glacier-fed lake on which the city is built.

And amid on-again, off-again tariffs and the fraying of alliances, Munro at least has been more successful in his bilateral relationships.

“In 2016, in the last week that I was here – and this is one of the reasons that I keep returning – I met Stela, who’s now my spouse.

“Without wanting to sound too corny, it was love at first sight for me. Not so much for her.”