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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

12th August 2014

New British Council head in Australia

Sydney’s arts and cultural community gathered at our Consul General’s Residence last week to say farewell to outgoing British Council Director Nick Marchand.

The British Council do a fantastic job as the UK’s organization for international cultural relations. They support the third pillar of our relationship with Australia – people to people links – alongside the close political and economic ties we enjoy. When I headed the FCO’s Public Diplomacy Department in London a few years ago, I oversaw our relationship with the Council, including the grant in aid which is currently around £170 million a year.

CG Nick McInnes, Helen O’Neill, Nick Marchand, HE Paul Madden
CG Nick McInnes, Helen O’Neill, Nick Marchand, HE Paul Madden

Nick’s four years as Director here produced some notable successes. He devised and orchestrated the GREAT Britain Arts 13 Festival last year, which brought together a wide range of events, from the Francis Bacon exhibition to a National Theatre Company tour. He has also worked closely with indigenous cultural and creative leaders, through the Accelerate programme, which has taken a number of up and coming practitioners to broaden their experience in the UK.

As a former theatre producer, Nick brought to the role a combination of passion and the ability to get things done. He has strengthened the Council’s local partnerships, not just with the High Commission and associated British bodies, but also with the private sector and with a wide suite of local organisations. These skills will be put to good use in his new role as Director of the British Council’s Art programme in China.

Fortunately we have found an excellent successor for Nick. The new British Council Director in Australia is Helen O’Neill. Helen has an impressive pedigree in the Australian arts scene. Most recently she was senior adviser to the Australian Arts Minister; she was previously Executive Director of the Australian Major Performing Arts Group and the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and Chair of the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals. We look forward to working together.

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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