Jon Benjamin
Biography
Jon Benjamin became Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Mexico in August 2021. Jon joined the Diplomatic Service in 1986, and has previously represented the British government in Chile, Ghana, Turkey, Indonesia, and the United States, during his 35-year career.
As Ambassador to Mexico, his priorities are to further strengthen British-Mexican ties in various fields, with an emphasis on restoring bilateral trade volumes to a record level after the COVID-19 pandemic setback, negotiating a new bilateral Free Trade Agreement, and promote a very wide range of topics of mutual interest, such as: poverty reduction, education, rule of law and human rights, climate change, gender equality and renewable energy, in addition to cultural relations.
Prior to assuming his role as ambassador, Jon was director of the Diplomatic Academy in London, where he was responsible for the creation and implementation of an academy that ensures that those in the British foreign service and others working internationally for the government have the skills and diplomatic and linguistic knowledge they need to implement UK foreign policy.
He served as UK Ambassador to Chile (2009 to 2014), High Commissioner to Ghana (2014 to 2017), as well as concurrent Ambassador to several other neighbouring countries in West Africa. He was also Consul General in New York, having represented the United Kingdom in Indonesia and Turkey. Among those overseas assignments, in London, he also headed the Human Rights department and was chief of staff for the Minister for European Affairs.
British Ambassador to Mexico
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.
Previous roles in government
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Director of the Diplomatic Academy
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British High Commissioner to Ghana
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British Ambassador to Chile