Richard Moore (diplomat)
Richard Peter Moore, CMG (born 9 May 1963) is currently the Director General, Political, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.[1][2][3][4] He was previously the British Ambassador to Turkey.[1][3][4] He will become the head of MI6 in autumn 2020.[5][6]
Richard Moore CMG | |
---|---|
Director General, Political, Foreign and Commonwealth Office | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office April 2018 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | Karen Pierce |
British Ambassador to Turkey | |
In office January 2014 – December 2017 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | David Reddaway |
Succeeded by | Dominick Chilcott |
Personal details | |
Born | Tripoli, Libya | 9 May 1963
Spouse(s) | Margaret Patricia Isabel Martin (Maggie) |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Worcester College, Oxford (BA) Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Stanford Graduate School of Business |
Education
Moore attended St George's College, Weybridge, a Roman Catholic independent school in Surrey.[3] Afterwards, Moore studied PPE at Worcester College, Oxford where he gained a bachelor's degree.[1][3] He then won a Kennedy Scholarship to study at the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University.[1][3] In 2007, he attended the Stanford Executive Programme.[1][3]
Career
Moore's notable career has been in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and in Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service, the first of which he joined in 1987.[3] He has had minor postings to Vietnam 1988, Turkey (1990, 1991–1992), Pakistan (1995–98), Iran (1992–95) and Malaysia (2001–2005) where he undertook a range of roles.[1][3] He was the section head of the Security Policy Group at the FCO from 1998 to 2001 and the Deputy Director of the Middle East from 2005 to 2008.[3]
Moore's first major role in the FCO was Director for Programmes and Change, a post which he held from 2008–2010.[1][3] He then went on to be Director for Europe, Latin America and Globalization (2010–2012).[1][3]
Moore's first public appointment was the British Ambassador to Turkey. He held this post for three years, from 2014 to 2017.[1][3][4] He then took a short stint as Deputy National Security Advisor (Intelligence, Security and Resilience) in 2018.[3][4] His current appointment is Director-General, Political in the FCO, a post which he has held since 2018 and will retire from in Autumn 2020.[1][3][4] On 29 July 2020, it was announced that Moore will become the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in autumn 2020.[5][6]
Personal life
Moore was born in Tripoli, Libya on the 9 May 1963 to John Robert Moore and (Norah) Patricia Moore (née Buckley)[3] In 1985, he married Margaret Patricia Isabel Martin (Maggie), with whom he has had a son and a daughter.[3]
In his spare time, Moore enjoys: golf; watching cricket and rugby; reading; TV; travel; hiking; scuba-diving; Turkish carpets and porcelain; and visiting historical sites.[1][3] He is fluent in Turkish.[7]
Moore is the grandson of Jack Buckley, a soldier who served for six years in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence between 1916 and 1922.[8]
References
- "Richard Moore CMG". HM Government. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- "FCO Political Director in Lebanon, discusses security". British Embassy Beirut. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- "Moore, Richard Peter". Who's Who 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- "Richard Moore @UKPolDirRichard". Twitter. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- "MI6: Richard Moore named as new head of Secret Intelligence Service". BBC. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- "Appointment of the new Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)". HM Government. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- The Associated Press (29 July 2020). "Ex-Ambassador Made Head of British Intelligence Service MI6". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "Grandson of Cork IRA man named chief of British spy agency". IrishCentral.com. 6 August 2020.
Diplomatic posts | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by David Reddaway |
British Ambassador to Turkey 2014–2017 |
Succeeded by Sir Dominick Chilcott |
Preceded by Karen Pierce |
Director-General, Political of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2018–2020 |
Succeeded by To Be Decided |