Richard Shackleton
Biography
Richard Shackleton MBE commenced his position as His Majesty’s Consul General in Houston in April 2026. As Consul General, he has overall responsibility for leading the UK’s engagement in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico.
Richard’s priorities include engaging with political, business and civic leaders and organisations to build deeper, long-lasting political and cultural ties; enhancing trade and investment partnerships; and promoting science and innovation links.
As a career diplomat, Richard has served in a range of diplomatic and commercial positions around the world since he joined the FCO in 1990. He has since been posted to the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York, the UK Trade and Investment Office in Bogotá, Colombia and the British Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria. He took a career break to work as International Director for the Bogotá Children’s Museum in Colombia. In 2000, he was nominated as Deputy Director of the British Council in Colombia. He was awarded the MBE in the New Years Honours List of 2000 for his work in Colombia.
He has also worked in the FCO’s Climate Change and Energy Department in London, focussing on energy security issues in Russia and the Caspian Region and in the Department of Energy and Climate Change on the international climate change negotiations. He was posted to Mexico City in June 2012 to lead on the Embassy’s energy, climate change and programme work. In 2016, he took up a posting as Deputy Head of Mission in Helsinki, Finland and then in 2020 moved to Budapest, Hungary as Deputy Head of Mission. From 2022, in London, he returned to the FCDO where he worked on national security issues around the Russia and Ukraine as well as on counter disinformation campaigns more widely. He took up the role of Deputy Head of Mission and Consul General Switzerland and Liechtenstein at the British Embassy in Berne at the end of March 2025 until January 2026.
Richard is accompanied by his partner, Pedro Ruiz.
British Consul General in Houston
The Consul General is the senior UK official in a Consulate General, which is a subordinate office to the Embassy or High Commission, usually located in another major city. The Consul General represents the UK government and is typically responsible for consular, visa and trade activities in their city or region.
Previous roles in government
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Deputy Head of Mission, Switzerland
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Deputy Head of Mission, Hungary
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Chargé d'Affaires to Hungary
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Deputy Head of Mission, Finland