Simon McDonald (diplomat)
| Sir Simon McDonald KCMG KCVO | |
|---|---|
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| Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, & Head of the Diplomatic Service | |
|
Assumed office September 2015 | |
| Prime Minister |
David Cameron Theresa May |
| Minister |
Philip Hammond Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Sir Simon Fraser |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
9 March 1961 Salford, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Olivia Wright |
| Children | 4 (2 sons, 2 daughters) |
| Alma mater | Pembroke College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Sir Simon Gerard McDonald KCMG KCVO (born 9 March 1961) is a British diplomat who is Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service.
Career
McDonald was educated at De La Salle College, Salford and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1982 and served in Jeddah, Riyadh, Bonn and Washington, D.C. as well as in London. He was Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary 2001–03; Ambassador to Israel 2003–06; Director for Iraq at the FCO 2006–07; Foreign Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister and Head of the Overseas and Defence Secretariat at the Cabinet Office 2007–10; and was appointed Ambassador to Germany in October 2010.[1][2]
In September 2015, McDonald became Permanent Under-Secretary in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service, replacing Sir Simon Fraser.[3][4][5] As of 2015, McDonald was paid a salary of between £180,000 and £184,999 by the Foreign Office, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[6]
Honours
McDonald was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2004 New Year Honours[7] and Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to British foreign policy and British interests in Germany.[8][9] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) during the Queen's state visit to Germany in June 2015.[10]
Family
In 1989 Simon McDonald married Olivia, daughter of Sir Patrick Wright, later Baron Wright of Richmond, who had also been Permanent Under-Secretary at the FCO (1986–1991). Simon and Olivia have two sons and two daughters.[1]
References
- 1 2 McDONALD, Simon Gerard, Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press Dec 2013
- ↑ Simon McDonald CMG, British Ambassador to Germany, gov.uk
- ↑ "Appointment of new Permanent Under Secretary to the FCO". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 29 July 2015.
- ↑ Fraser, Simon (2015-07-29). "Simon Fraser on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2015-07-31.
Many congrats to @SMcDonaldFCO on his appointment as my successor @foreignoffice. Great choice.
- ↑ Parker, George (2015-07-31). "Top Foreign Office mandarin cautions on hollowing out UK diplomacy". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 2015-07-31.
- ↑ "Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57155. p. 3. 31 December 2003.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60895. p. b4. 14 June 2014.
- ↑ "Birthday Honours lists 2014". gov.uk. Honours. HM Government. 2014-06-14. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 2360003. p. 2742. 30 June 2015.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles |
Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary 2001–2003 |
Succeeded by Sir Geoffrey Adams |
| Preceded by Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles |
British Ambassador to Israel 2003–2006 |
Succeeded by Sir Tom Phillips |
| Preceded by Sir Michael Arthur |
British Ambassador to Germany 2010–2015 |
Succeeded by Sir Sebastian Wood |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Simon Fraser |
Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2015–present |
Incumbent |