Stephen Lillie CMG
Biography
Mr Stephen Lillie CMG became the Director for Defence and International Security at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in September 2022.
A senior career diplomat, Stephen has extensive experience of complex geopolitical issues, with particular focus on the Indo-Pacific region. He has had postings across Asia in China, India and the Philippines, where he was British Ambassador.
He was Foreign Office Asia-Pacific Director from 2013 to 2017, advising the government on UK policy towards China, and leading official engagement with key regional partners including Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand.
Most recently Stephen was British High Commissioner to Cyprus from 2018 to 2022, in which role he worked closely with the UK Ministry of Defence in support of the UK’s Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.
Stephen is a Chinese speaker, having studied the language in Hong Kong and London. He has a degree in German and French from Oxford.
Social media links
Follow Stephen Lillie on Twitter
Director for Defence and International Security
The Director is responsible for:
- leading the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s work in a broad range of areas including NATO, European defence and security, global security partnerships, counter-proliferation, arms control and arms exports
- helping to deliver the vision set out in the 2021 Integrated Review
Previous roles in government
-
British High Commissioner to Cyprus
-
Director, Asia Pacific
-
British Ambassador to the Philippines