John Virgoe
Biography
John Virgoe was appointed the UK government’s Envoy to the Commonwealth in June 2025.
John was British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam from 2020 to 2024. Before this, he was Head of South-East Asia and Pacific Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London.
A career diplomat, John joined the FCO in 1991. Over the course of his career, he has worked extensively on the Indo-Pacific, economic diplomacy, climate change, strategic finance and geopolitics. As well as Brunei, John has served in British diplomatic missions in Jakarta, Nairobi and Canberra.
John’s previous leadership roles include Head of Policy Unit at the FCO (2013 to 2015) and a senior role in the Cabinet Office leading the UK government’s anti-corruption strategy (2015 to 2017). Outside government, John was South-East Asia Director for the conflict-prevention NGO, International Crisis Group (2007 to 2009).
John has an MA in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge, and a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from Princeton University, USA.
Commonwealth Envoy
The Commonwealth Envoy represents the UK within the Commonwealth, including on the governing Board of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The Envoy works in support of the 3 main pillars of the Commonwealth to implement the principles set out in the Commonwealth Charter. The 3 pillars consist of:
- its Member States (56 including the UK)
- the Commonwealth Secretariat
- the many accredited Commonwealth organisations
Previous roles in government
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British High Commissioner to Brunei