Sir David Reddaway KCMG MBE (born 26 April 1953) is a retired British diplomat who was high commissioner to Canada and ambassador to Ireland and Turkey.
Career
Reddaway was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where his father, Norman Reddaway, also a British diplomat, was posted at the time. He attended King's College School, Cambridge and Oundle School,[1] then studied History at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where his grandfather, the historian William Fiddian Reddaway, had served as Censor.[2] He then joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1975. His career has included assignments to Iran (during the Iranian revolution), India, Spain, Argentina and Afghanistan. Married to Roshan, he is the father of three.
In 2002, his appointment as British ambassador to Iran was rejected by the Iranian government, with some Iranian newspapers (incorrectly) accusing him of being "a Jew and a member of MI6".[3] He speaks fluent Persian and his wife is Iranian.
He served as High Commissioner to Canada between 2003 and 2006. In 2006 he was appointed the British ambassador to Ireland[4] and presented his diplomatic credentials to the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese on 12 September 2006, succeeding Stewart Eldon as British ambassador to Ireland.[5]
He was appointed to Turkey in 2009,[6] and left Ankara in January 2014.[7]
Reddaway was appointed MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1980,[8] CMG in 1993,[9] and knighted KCMG in the 2013 Birthday Honours "for services to British diplomacy and furthering UK interests in Turkey".[10]
Reddaway had the honour of celebrating his 64th birthday at a Chris de Burgh concert. De Burgh announced Mr Reddaway's birthday to a packed audience at the London Palladium on April 26th 2017, and gave a brief account of his role as a diplomat. He then sang the Beatles song 'When I'm 64.'
Career
- 1975–1977: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Desk Officer for East Germany and the Council of Europe
- 1977–1980: Tehran: 3rd Secretary Commercial; 2nd later 1st Secretary Political
- 1980–1984: Madrid, 1st Secretary Political
- 1984–1986: Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Falkland Islands Department, Desk Officer
- 1986–1988: Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Secretary to Minister(s) of State
- 1988–1990: New Delhi, 1st Secretary Political
- 1990–1993: Tehran, chargé d'affaires
- 1993–1997: Buenos Aires, Minister & Deputy Head of Mission
- 1997–1999: FCO: Head of Southern European Department
- 1999–2001: FCO: Director Public Services
- 2002–2002: London, UK Special Representative for Afghanistan
- 2002–2003: Harvard, Visiting Fellow
- 2003–2006: Ottawa, High Commissioner
- 2006–2009: Dublin, Ambassador
- 2009–2014: Ankara, Ambassador
External links
- The British Embassy in Turkey Career history — biography from the British Embassy's website
- Britain’s new man in Ireland — Sunday Business Post interview, 17 September 2006
- A high-flying veteran diplomat — BBC News article, 8 February 2002
References
- REDDAWAY, Sir David (Norman), Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2013
- ^ The British Embassy in Turkey Career history[permanent dead link]
- ^ David Reddaway honoured Archived 7 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine — Fitzwilliam College news article, 23 July 2013
- ^ Rejection threatens UK-Iran detente — BBC News article, 8 February 2002
- ^ Foreign and Commonwealth Office and British Embassy Website Archived 10 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ New British ambassador presents credentials Archived 14 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine — British embassy press release, 12 September 2006
- ^ Anadolu Ajansi - Britain appoints new Ambassador to Ankara Archived 23 July 2012 at archive.today
- ^ Bidding Farewell: David Reddaway, ankarascene.com
- ^ "No. 48212". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 1980. p. 19.
- ^ "No. 53332". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1993. p. 3.
- ^ "No. 60534". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2013. p. 3.