James Hooley OBE
Biography
James Hooley joined HM Diplomatic Service in 2007 and took up his role as British Ambassador to Cuba in March 2025.
In 2009, after two years in London at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, James took up his first overseas posting in Nairobi, Kenya, working on Somalia and spending his final year regularly travelling to Mogadishu as the UK prepared to reopen its embassy there.
In 2012, he returned to London to head the Sanctions Section in the former International Organisations Department, before serving as Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary (first William Hague, then Philip Hammond). In 2017, he was posted to Washington DC as Head of the Political Section, a role he held for five years.
On return to London, he became Deputy Director of Protocol, leading on the Royal Family’s international work. This included leading the FCDO’s work on the State Funeral of Her Late Majesty and the Coronation.
British Ambassador to Cuba
The Ambassador represents His Majesty The King and the UK government in the country to which they are appointed. They are responsible for the direction and work of the Embassy and its Consulates, including political work, trade and investment, press and cultural relations, and visa and consular services.