His Excellency
Neil Wigan
CVO OBE
British High Commissioner to Kenya
Assumed office
16 August 2023
MonarchCharles III
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded byJane Marriott
British Ambassador to Israel
In office
13 June 2019 – 16 August 2023
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
Prime Minister
Preceded byDavid Quarrey
Succeeded bySimon Walters
British Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo
In office
2010–2013
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byNicholas Kay
Succeeded byDiane Corner
Personal details
NationalityBritish
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Oxford
University of London
Johns Hopkins University
OccupationDiplomat

Desmond Patrick Neil Wigan CVO OBE is a British diplomat who is the current British High Commissioner to Kenya. He previously served as the UK Ambassador to Somalia from 2013 to 2015.[1] He also served as the British ambassador to Israel, June 2019 to June 2023, replacing David Quarrey.[2] In June 2023, he was appointed the British High Commissioner to Kenya, replacing Jane Marriott.

Personal life

Wigan studied at the University of Oxford, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history. He also has an MSc in economics from the University of London and a Post-Graduate Diploma from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.[1]

Wigan is married, and has two children.[1] His wife, Yael, is Israeli, and he can speak basic Hebrew, which he learned from his wife and from watching Israeli shows on Netflix.[3]

Career

Wigan joined the London-based Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2000. He initially was an Advisor in charge of UK's Economic Policies in the European Union, a position he held for two years. From August 2002 to January 2006, he was the Head of the Political Section at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel. Wigan subsequently acted as the Head of the Middle East and North Africa Group in London between February 2006 and April 2008. He later was the deputy director for Wider World in the Cabinet Office's Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat. In March 2010, he was also named as the UK Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo.[1]

In June 2013, Wigan was appointed as the UK Ambassador to Somalia,[4] based at the British Embassy in Mogadishu. On 16 March 2015, Harriet Mathews was appointed as Wigan's successor as Ambassador; Wigan was to be transferred to another Diplomatic Service appointment.[5]

Wigan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours.[6]

Wigan became Britain's ambassador to Israel in June 2019.[7]

In April 2023, he was appointed as the UK High Commissioner to Kenya, replacing Jane Marriott.[8]

He was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in December 2023 in connection to Their Majesty’s State Visit to Kenya, with the appointment backdated to the date of the state visit.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Neil Wigan". gov.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "British Ambassador to Israel: Neil Wigan OBE". Retrieved 24 October 2019."British Ambassador to Israel: Neil Wigan OBE". gov.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  3. ↑ אייכנר, איתמר (16 June 2019). "סגירת המעגל המרגשת של השגריר הבריטי בישראל". Ynet.
  4. ↑ "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Somalia". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Press release: Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Somalia". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "No. 61450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2015. p. N26.
  7. ↑ Ahren, Raphael. "Britain names Neil Wigan as new ambassador to Israel". Times of Israel. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "Change of British High Commissioner to Kenya: Neil Wigan". GOV.UK. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "French state visit honours". London Gazette. Retrieved 1 December 2023.

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