Asif Ahmad CMG

Biography

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

  • British High Commissioner to Jamaica, August 2017 to August 2021
  • British Ambassador to the Philippines and Palau, July 2013 to July 2017
  • British Ambassador to Thailand and Laos, 2010 to 2012
  • Head of South East Asia and Pacific Group, February 2008 to November 2010
  • Director Asia, UK Trade and Investment, May 2004 to January 2008 .
  • Head of Communication and Information Centre, Prime Minister’s Office, Sept 2002 to March 2003
  • Head of Department, Commonwealth Coordination 2002 
  • Deputy Head of Department 2000- Resource Budgeting Department
  • Joined as First Secretary in 1999 – Resource Planning Department

Business Link London (Department of Trade & Industry agency)

  • Team Leader and Business Adviser 1996-99   ##National Westminster Bank

Career spanning 1977-96 in international corporate finance, corporate planning, office of the Group Chief Executive, international private banking (Coutts) and Senior Manager of a network of London branches.  

Education

  • Graduate American Community High School, Tehran, Iran
  • A’ levels at Carlisle Technical College, Cumbria, UK
  • University of Durham, BA Hons Economics
  • INSEAD, France, International Executive Programme

Personal details

Lived in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, China, Poland, Russia,Thailand and the Philippines

Foreign Languages: Bengali, Urdu, Filipino (Rudimentary Farsi, Kutchee and French)

Awarded CMG in the 2017 Birthday Honours for service in South East Asia  

Previous roles in government

  • British High Commissioner to Jamaica
    • 2017 to 2021
  • British Ambassador to the Philippines
    • 2013 to 2017