Avatar photo

Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Read biography

3rd November 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

ANZAC departure commemorations in Albany, WA

“From this place, on this day a century ago, thousands of Australian and New Zealand servicemen departed on what many considered a great adventure. For the first time our nations were to contribute on a large scale to major world events.” So began the commemorative service in Albany, in the far south tip of Western […]

Read more on ANZAC departure commemorations in Albany, WA | Reply

27th October 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Big win for South Australia-based British company

The aerospace company Cobham has just been awarded a $640 million contract to provide search and rescue services for the Australian government’s Maritime Safety Authority. Cobham was one of several successful British aerospace and defence businesses I visited in Adelaide last week including British Aerospace, Babcock and Ultra. Defence procurement is a complex business, and […]

Read more on Big win for South Australia-based British company | Reply

22nd October 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Geopolitics and investment… and graduations

There seems to be an unusually large number of challenging geopolitical issues all surfacing at the same time at the moment. This was the conclusion of a panel I spoke on at the annual conference of the International Investment Funds Association (IIFA) in Canberra this week. The panel was chaired by DFAT Parliamentary Secretary Senator […]

Read more on Geopolitics and investment… and graduations | Reply

21st October 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

WW1 Galleries at the Imperial War Museum

The new £40m WW1 galleries at the Imperial War Museum in London are absolutely spectacular. I was fortunate to be given a private tour during my visit to London last week, when I met IWM Director Diane Lees and discussed the museum’s plans to send a WW1 exhibition to Melbourne next year. The path through […]

Read more on WW1 Galleries at the Imperial War Museum | Reply

10th October 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Indian Ocean Rim Association ministers meet in Perth

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is not one of the most well known international regional groupings. But it is of growing significance. The 20 countries who flank the world’s third largest ocean represent more than a quarter  of the world’s population, and include African, Arab and Asian nations. Around half the world’s cargo ships and two thirds […]

Read more on Indian Ocean Rim Association ministers meet in Perth | Reply

7th October 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

British comedy fits the Bill

Australians and Brits share a very similar sense of humour. The much loved comedian, musician and self-styled hippy Bill Bailey is well known here from his Black Books sitcom and appearances on many panel shows like QI. He came to lunch at my Residence on Saturday before performing a sell-out show in Canberra as part […]

Read more on British comedy fits the Bill | Reply

2nd October 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Order! Order!

I think two Speakers make a stereo system. There was certainly a high fidelity exchange when Australian Parliament Speaker Bronwyn Bishop hosted the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow in Canberra this week. Speaker Bercow is a familiar face around the world from TV coverage of the famous weekly Prime Minister’s Question Time. […]

Read more on Order! Order! | Reply

30th September 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

British stars rock Grand Final crowd

It’s not unusual for the AFL Grand Final to attract a big name musician to entertain the almost 100,000 crowd. But it was the first time they’d had Tom Jones. Together with Ed Sheeran, the veteran star and one of the hottest current British talents wowed the fans before and after the game. The match […]

Read more on British stars rock Grand Final crowd | Reply

24th September 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Applying for British Passports overseas

During the last few months, our consular teams in Australia have been doing several things to help British nationals who need to travel urgently, but have been affected by longer processing times at HM Passport Office (HMPO) following a surge in demand for British passports: We have been issuing Emergency Travel Documents, which enable travellers to […]

Read more on Applying for British Passports overseas | Reply

About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.