Ian Collard OBE
Biography
Dr Ian Collard was appointed the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Chief Property & Security Officer in March 2023.
Ian’s previous role was the British Ambassador to Lebanon from 2021 to 2022. Ian was appointed Deputy Ambassador at the British Embassy in Kabul in March 2020. Prior to that Ian served as the Head of Counter Terrorism at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, where he had responsibility for directing the delivery of the UK’s overseas CT objectives and for overseeing the UK’s global network of counter terrorism partnerships.
Ian previously served as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Panama from 2013 to 2017, where he focused on the UK’s trading relationship with Panama and on defeating serious and organised crime. Ian has more than 2 decade’s experience with the British diplomatic service, and has also served at the United Nations Security Council in New York, at the British Embassy in Washington DC, and in roles at the FCDO in London, including as Head of the North America Department, and in the Middle East and United Nations departments.
Before joining the FCDO, Ian worked briefly for the international shipping newspaper Lloyd’s List and with Imperial Oil in Canada. He graduated with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and a Doctorate, each in biological and anthropological sciences, from King’s College, Cambridge University. He is married, with 4 daughters.
Previous roles in government
-
British Ambassador to Lebanon
-
Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy Kabul
-
British Ambassador to Panama