Sir Thomas Drew KCMG

Biography

Tom Drew was the Director General, Defence and Intelligence, at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) until December 2023.  He had been Director General at the FCDO and previously the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) since January 2020. 

Before this Tom was British High Commissioner to Pakistan from February 2016 until October 2019. He was previously Principal Private Secretary (Chief of Staff) to Foreign Secretaries William Hague and Philip Hammond. 

Tom was the FCO’s National Security Director from 2011 to 2012 and Director in the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism in the Home Office from 2008 to 2011.

Tom joined the Diplomatic Service in 1995. In his early career he served in a variety of Europe and EU-related jobs in London. His first overseas posting was to Moscow (1998 to 2002) and he served for the first time in Islamabad from 2006 to 2008. 

Tom started his career with McKinsey and Company, the management consultants.  In 2015, he was Visiting Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute.

He is married to Joanna, a fellow diplomat and British Ambassador to The Netherlands.

Previous roles in government

  • Director General, Defence and Intelligence
  • Director General, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan
  • Director General, Consular and Security
  • British High Commissioner to Pakistan