His Excellency Dr Michael Mann presented his credentials to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great of the Kingdom of Thailand in 29 September 2004.

He is also Permanent Observer to the United Nations ESCAP and Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Kingdom of Cambodia.

From 1998 to 2002, he was the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam. Previously, from 1990 to 1994, he was Australian Ambassador to Laos. During his career as an Australian diplomat, he had diplomatic assignments to Japan, Cambodia, Italy, China, Indonesia, Thailand and France.

He has also held Governing Board positions of universities and higher education providers in Australia, Japan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, New Zealand and South Africa.

He is a Knight of the Order of Malta, and was awarded the Officer Grand Cross of the Order in 2017.

Ambassador Mann was honored as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2020 for distinguished services to tertiary education through strategic development initiatives, and for services on Australia-South East Asia relations. In 2009, he was recognized as a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to education and humanitarian work in Asia.

He was been awarded with the Friendship, Red Cross and Agriculture Medals from the Government of Vietnam, and the Labor Medal from the Government of Laos.