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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

27th November 2012

On Her Majesty’s (not particularly secret) Service

James Bond is an iconic British global brand. So we have been keen to associate ourselves with it as part of our Public Diplomacy activities. Over the last week, we have hosted very successful Skyfall screenings and networking events in five Australian cities (Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth), together with commercial partners including Virgin, HSBC, Diageo and Visit Britain.

HE Paul Madden at the British High Commission in Canberra

I took the opportunity to explain that the James Bond franchise was in fact an allegory with important messages about the UK:

  • Like Bond, the UK was constantly renewing itself to remain relevant
  • Also, like Bond, we were actively engaged wherever the action was around the world
  • As Miss Moneypenny’s name made clear, we were not part of the Eurozone (though we remained a key member of the EU, the world’s largest single market)
  • Q was a symbol of UK innovation and R&D strengths: no doubt he was a graduate of one of the four UK universities in the world top ten.
  • Our readiness to embrace Australian actor George Lazenby as an early Bond, was a sign of the extraordinary affection Brits felt towards Australia.

Feedback from our guests, from business, government and the media was hugely positive. Some congratulated us on our use of “soft power” diplomacy. The Canberra Times wrote a nice article.

1 comment on “On Her Majesty’s (not particularly secret) Service”

  1. Impressed with the Bond impersonation! Hope you and family are well. Will be in contact before Christmas

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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.

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2012 Brisbane canberra diamond jubilee eu eurozone GREAT james bond london melbourne Miss Moneypenny olympics perth Q screening skyfall sydney