Sir Simon McDonald KCMG KCVO |
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Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, & Head of the Diplomatic Service | |
Assumed office September 2015 |
|
Prime Minister |
David Cameron Theresa May |
Minister |
Philip Hammond Boris Johnson |
Preceded by | Sir Simon Fraser |
Personal details | |
Born |
Salford, England |
9 March 1961
Nationality | British |
Spouse(s) | Olivia Wright |
Children | 4 (2 sons, 2 daughters) |
Alma mater | Pembroke College, Cambridge |
Occupation | Diplomat |
Sir Simon Gerard McDonald KCMG KCVO (born 9 March 1961) is a British diplomat who is Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service.
McDonald was educated at De La Salle College, Salford and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1982 and served in Jeddah, Riyadh, Bonn and Washington, D.C. as well as in London. He was Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary 2001–03; Ambassador to Israel 2003–06; Director for Iraq at the FCO 2006–07; Foreign Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister and Head of the Overseas and Defence Secretariat at the Cabinet Office 2007–10; and was appointed Ambassador to Germany in October 2010[update].
In September 2015, McDonald became Permanent Under-Secretary in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service, replacing Sir Simon Fraser. As of 2015, McDonald was paid a salary of between £180,000 and £184,999 by the Foreign Office, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.