Alan Gemmell OBE

Biography

Alan Gemmell was His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia and the British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India from June 2020 to May 2023.

Prior to this appointment, Alan was Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council where he promoted intra-Commonwealth trade working with leading British businesses including: HSBC, JCB, Rolls Royce, Standard Chartered, as well as the City of London, the UK government and a number of governments of Commonwealth countries. Alan was part of a 2019 Commonwealth mission to assess the successful application of the government of Maldives to re-join the Commonwealth.

Alan has worked in Brazil, India, Israel and Mexico with the British Council and was Director of the British Council in India from 2016 to 2018 leading the UK-India Year of Culture and working with State Governments to support education agendas across the country.

Alan worked on counter terrorism and preventing extremism in the UK’s Cabinet Office and on economic migration in the Home Office.

Alan was awarded OBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours list for services to arts and science.

Previous roles in government

  • HM Trade Commissioner for South Asia
  • British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India