Patrick Reilly
Biography
Patrick Reilly took up post as Deputy Head of Mission at the British High Commission in Wellington in January 2011.
Patrick is a career diplomatic service officer. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1995 and worked on the conflict in the former Yugoslavia before being posted to South Africa as a political officer in 1997.
He returned to London in 2000 to work on European Union internal policy before being posted to Dublin as First Secretary working on the Northern Ireland peace process.
Patrick returned to London in 2006 to lead the UK team responsible for the negotiation and ratification of the EU Lisbon Treaty. He then became Deputy Head of Afghanistan Department including a stint in the Cabinet Office as Secretary to the Afghanistan-Pakistan Cabinet Sub-Committee.
Patrick was appointed first head of the National Security Council Secretariat following the election of the coalition Government in May 2010.
Patrick has an Honours Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.
He is married to Sara who is also a diplomat. They have one son, James, born in 2009.
Previous roles in government
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Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission New Zealand
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Deputy High Commissioner to New Zealand