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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

9th May 2013

Sports Ministers wager on forthcoming Ashes and Lions’ tours

Australian Sports Minister Kate Lundy and UK Sports Minister Hugh Robertson MP make a sporting wager

Australian sports minister, Senator Kate Lundy, must be a glutton for punishment. She’s already had to pay a forfeit over her bet with UK sports minister Hugh Robertson about the results at the London Olympics. Now she’s signed up for further wagers with him over the forthcoming Ashes and the Lions’ tour.

Australian Sports Minister Kate Lundy and UK Sports Minister Hugh Robertson MP make a sporting wager
Australian Sports Minister Kate Lundy and UK Sports Minister Hugh Robertson MP make a sporting wager

It was all done in good humoured fashion, at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, which the minister was visiting as part of a week in Australia. Wherever he went, he received incredibly warm comments on the success of London 2012. In return, he was able to express gratitude for the many Australian contributions in London.

He visited Sydney’s Olympic Park, from the 2000 games, now a growing commercial and residential hub, to discuss Olympic legacy. He also met British and Australian firms who are capitalising on their London track record to win business on forthcoming major sports events, including Rio 2016.

One consequence of London’s glorious summer in the spotlight last year is a big increase in the number of people overseas who are considering a holiday in Britain. It looks particularly attractive to Australians whose strong dollar makes UK prices a steal.

Mr Robertson also has responsibility for tourism, and he was accompanied by the Chairman of Visit Britain, our national tourist agency. They saw good opportunities to further increase the number of Australian tourists coming to the UK. Australia is already our fourth largest market by spend, with nearly 1 million tourists spending over a billion pounds last year.

We also compete with Australia for tourists from Asia, including the rapidly growing Chinese market, and Mr Robertson was able to compare notes with Australian Tourism Minister Gary Gray.

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.