David Reddaway

Sir David Norman Reddaway KCMG MBE (born 26 April 1953) is Chief Executive and Clerk of the Goldsmiths' Company in the City of London. He is a retired British diplomat who was High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Ireland and Turkey.[1]

Sir David Reddaway in 2016

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[2] and Oundle School,[3] then studied History at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where his grandfather, the historian William Fiddian Reddaway, had served as Censor.[4][lower-alpha 1] He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1975. His career has included assignments to Iran (during the Iranian revolution), India, Spain, Argentina and Afghanistan.

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".[5][6] He speaks fluent Persian.

He served as High Commissioner to Canada between 2003 and 2006. In 2006 he was appointed the British ambassador to Ireland[7] and presented his diplomatic credentials to the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese on 12 September 2006, succeeding Stewart Eldon as British ambassador to Ireland.[8]

He was appointed to Turkey in 2009,[9] and left Ankara in January 2014.[10]

Reddaway was appointed MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1980,[11] CMG in 1993,[12] and knighted KCMG in the 2013 Birthday Honours "for services to British diplomacy and furthering UK interests in Turkey".[13]

Reddaway had the honour of celebrating his 64th birthday at a Chris de Burgh concert. De Burgh announced Sir David's birthday to a packed audience at the London Palladium on April 26, 2017, and gave a brief account of his role as a diplomat. He then sang the Beatles song 'When I'm 64.'

Personal

David Reddaway married Roshan Firouz in the late summer of 1981,[14] thereby gaining Louise Firouz as his mother in law. The marriage was followed by the births of the couple's two sons and one daughter.[6]

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

Notes
  1. Between 1869 and 1966 Fitzwilliam Hall/House/College did not appoint a "Master". Many of the supervisory and disciplinary responsibilities conferred by other Oxbridge colleges on a "Master" were instead allocated to an individual identified, at Fitzwilliam, as the "Censor".

References
  1. The Goldsmiths’ Company appoints Sir David Reddaway as new clerk
  2. Henderson, RJ (1981). A History of King's College Choir School Cambridge. ISBN 978-0950752808.
  3. The British Embassy in Turkey Career history
  4. David Reddaway honoured Archived 7 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine — Fitzwilliam College news article, 23 July 2013
  5. Rejection threatens UK-Iran detente — BBC News article, 8 February 2002
  6. Patsy McGarry (1 July 2006). "New British ambassador leaves post in Ottawa". Irish Times, Dublin. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  7. Foreign and Commonwealth Office and British Embassy Website Archived 10 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  8. New British ambassador presents credentials Archived 14 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine — British embassy press release, 12 September 2006
  9. Anadolu Ajansi - Britain appoints new Ambassador to Ankara Archived 23 July 2012 at Archive.today
  10. Bidding Farewell: David Reddaway, ankarascene.com
  11. "No. 48212". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 1980. p. 19.
  12. "No. 53332". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1993. p. 3.
  13. "No. 60534". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2013. p. 3.
  14. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Andrew Burns		 UK High Commissioner to Canada
2003–2006		 Succeeded by
Anthony Cary
Preceded by
Stewart Eldon		 UK Ambassador to Ireland
2006–2009		 Succeeded by
Julian King
Preceded by
Nick Baird		 UK Ambassador to Turkey
2009–2014		 Succeeded by
Richard Moore
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