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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

5th January 2015

An Australian Christmas and New Year

Back to work after a Christmas/New Year break which is rather longer in Australia than at home. That’s because it’s summer here and with the schools on holiday most Australians take a long break. Many won’t be back until much later in January. In British terms it’s Christmas and August combined.

We had our final Aussie Christmas at home in Canberra. The weather was great, but it never feels quite Christmas in the sunshine. Though my 18 year old daughter did point out that, because of my job, she’s had more hot Christmases than cold ones in her life. Canberra felt largely deserted, as everyone heads for the beach. Lots of civil servants here have holiday homes on the south coast of NSW about two hours drive away.

NYEThen New Year in Sydney as usual. The Australian glitterati diaspora all seem to return from Hollywood, London and elsewhere, and a smattering of UK and American celebs appear here to soak up the atmosphere. Many Brits come through for holidays at this time of year, so we’re usually meeting up with visiting friends. The fireworks over the magnificent harbour were as spectacular as ever from the rooftop of a friend’s office building.  I felt a lump in my throat reflecting that this will be the last time we’ll see them – for now, at least.

We made our way back to Canberra via the Blue Mountains, whose looming presence seemed an impenetrable barrier to the early settlers for the first sixty years or so. The views from Katoomba were breathtaking. Then onto Bathurst, birthplace of post-War PM Ben Chiffley, and Cowra to visit the site of the suicidal break out by Japanese POWs in 1944, which left 231 Japanese and 4 Australian soldiers dead. There is now a peaceful cemetery and beautiful Japanese garden nearby.

The High Commission team is now busy preparing for the visit by the Foreign and Defence Secretaries for the annual AUKMIN meeting, just four weeks away.

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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