Dominic Meiklejohn

Part of UK in USA [New York]

26th February 2010 New York, USA

Crossroads of Economy and Culture

The big event on the investment front this week was the Global Investment Conference in London.  The US network of Posts worked closely with colleagues in London to ensure strong representation by US companies.  And it took a team effort to place an opinion piece by the Prime Minister in USA Today.
 
On the ground in New York this week, we were focused on the visit by Ambassador Nigel Sheinwald. 
 
Nigel spoke to students at Yale University on Afghanistan.  British links with Yale are very healthy.  University College London has a thriving research partnership with Yale.  And the Center for British Art is a magnificent showcase for the Mellon collection of British art, covering a wide range of periods and styles.   We had the chance to talk to President Richard Levin and some of his faculty about their unviersity.  
 
A few things struck me:
– how quickly Yale is internationalising its offer to students, both US and foreign.
– how central China and India are to that globalisation- we heard that many students expect to spend time abroad during their degree- and that almost all will spend time in Asia.
– that the UK is still of great interest to Yale undergraduates– increasingly as a polyglot, multicultural destination and a gateway to the rest of the world.
 
At the end of the week, we welcomed Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.  Shaun is engaging the influential Irish American community in New York, whose support for the peace process has been important in the last few years.   Many of these individuals are now playing a big part in attracting US investment into Northern Ireland.
 
Thursday, Robert Rubin, former US Treasury Secretary, spoke to a meeting of the Atlantic Partnership at the Consul-General’s residence.  It’s a good example of a New York group that brings together some big players in their respective fields to discuss issues which matter to Europe and the US.  Chatham House rules prevent me from attributing any comments, but the future of US/Europe relations, financial regulation and Iran were all on people’s minds.
 
Finally, a word on culture.  At any one time there’s a host of British cultural activity in New York.  But I’ll mention the 50th anniversary for the Guggenheim Museum because 12 British artists, designers and architects are represented in their special anniversary show.  If you’ve been to New York, you’ve almost certainly been to the museum.  And if you haven’t, you really should- it’s a stunning building.
 
Next week- more Ministers, more on the economy and even more culture.

About Dominic Meiklejohn

I was born in Woking, outside London, in 1967 and attended Merton College, Oxford University, graduating in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. After university, I worked for HM Customs and Excise…

I was born in Woking, outside London, in 1967 and attended Merton College, Oxford University, graduating in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

After university, I worked for HM Customs and Excise before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1990. After working for the European Community Department, I learned Polish and began a posting at the British Embassy Warsaw, where I headed the British Know How Fund for Poland (1993-96). In 1997, I worked for the OSCE Mission in Albania, before heading up the India team in the South Asian Department of the FCO. In 2000, I was posted as First Secretary to the British Embassy Warsaw, with a particular focus on European Union issues in the run-up to Poland’s accession to the EU. In 2003, I returned to the UK as Deputy Head of the Environment Policy Department. From 2004-2005, I led the FCO’s Knowledge Management Programme. During this period, I led two deployments of the FCO’s Consular Rapid Deployment Team– to Sri Lanka, after the tsunami in 2004 and to Pakistan, after the earthquake in 2005. From 2006-2007, I served as Deputy Consul-General, Basra, Iraq. From June 2007 I worked with the FCO’s Change Unit.

I took up my current appointment on 22 January 2008. My wife Joanne and I are the proud parents of Olivia. Outside of the office, I cycle around Manhattan, play soccer (football) and, when parenting duties allow, enjoy the cultural riches offered by New York. I try hard to understand baseball.

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