Martin Kent
Biography
Martin Kent was appointed His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Asia Pacific in September 2023. He joined from an interim posting as the Minister and Deputy Head of Mission in the British Embassy Tokyo.
Martin previously served as a Director within the Department for Business and Trade, prior to which he was HM Deputy Trade Commissioner to Africa, based in the British Embassy Cairo.
Martin joined the Civil Service in 2015 as the Deputy Director for Global Operations at UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).
He started his career at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in London and worked mainly overseas with multinational companies, including extended periods in Australia and Singapore.
Martin graduated from St John’s College, Cambridge University, and is from Colchester in Essex.
HM Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific
The HM Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Asia Pacific oversees all Department for Business and Trade (DBT) work in North-East Asia, South-East Asia and Australasia including:
- growing the overall bilateral trade and investment relationship
- improving market access for British companies, including small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- developing finance and trade policy
The HMTC also works closely with the wider diplomatic network and UK-based colleagues to coordinate His Majesty’s Government (HMG) activity on our wider prosperity agenda.
Previous roles in government
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Minister and Deputy Head of Mission to Japan