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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

28th November 2014

Saluting St Andrew’s Day in Australia

HE Paul Madden with Saltire on roof of the British High Commission, Canberra
HE Paul Madden with Saltire on roof of the British High Commission, Canberra

We’re flying the Scottish Saltire at the High Commission today for St Andrew’s Day, as we do with the flags of the other nations that comprise the rich tapestry of the United Kingdom on their national days.

Around Australia my colleagues are attending various events hosted by local Scottish societies at this time. Last week our Consul General in Melbourne – which has particularly strong Scottish connections in its history – participated in the grand annual dinner of the Melbourne Scots. I was the guest speaker there a couple of years ago: a wonderful event with hundreds of guests resplendent in their kilts. Last month when I was down in Melbourne I gave the Graduation Address at Scotch College, one of its most famous schools – a Scots Presbyterian foundation.

Many Australians are proud of their Scottish heritage. Around 130,000 residents were born in Scotland and 1.8m (about 9% of the population) claim Scottish ancestry. I blogged in June about attending the annual dinner of the Scottish Parliamentary group which contains a healthy balance from all sides of politics.

My UK Trade & Investment team support businesses from all around Britain. Australia has been building massive oil and gas infrastructure in the last few years, and this is one of the areas that Scotland is particularly strong in. So when you visit companies or attend trade shows in this sector you regularly hear many Scottish accents around you.

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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