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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

30th September 2014

British stars rock Grand Final crowd

Tom Jones performing at the AFL Grand Final

It’s not unusual for the AFL Grand Final to attract a big name musician to entertain the almost 100,000 crowd. But it was the first time they’d had Tom Jones. Together with Ed Sheeran, the veteran star and one of the hottest current British talents wowed the fans before and after the game.

The match itself was a slight disappointment with the Sydney Swans failing to live up to expectations and being trounced by last year’s winners Hawthorn, 137-74. This was not at all what everyone predicted, given the Swans’ strong performances this season. It just shows you never know what’s going to happen in sport. But as always, the Grand Final, in the wonderful setting of the vast Melbourne Cricket Ground, was a spectacular occasion.

I’d had a busy Friday in Melbourne, lunching with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and meeting top foreign policy journalist Greg Sheridan, and Andrew Mackenzie the Scottish CEO of BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company. It’s always good to be in Melbourne, which plays such an important role in Australian life.

Tom Jones performing at the AFL Grand Final
Tom Jones performing at the AFL Grand Final

It’s our 25th Wedding Anniversary today. Sarah and I began married life together in Japan a quarter of a century ago, and have raised our three children in Singapore, America and Australia as well as the UK. Sarah gave up her Civil Service career to join me in Diplomatic postings around the world. She’s worked in various fields: teaching, establishing a charity, and running busy Residences in Singapore and Canberra. Diplomatic spouses are unsung heroes of this profession. So I’ll take this chance to say thank you now. Here’s to the next twenty five.

About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.

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afl Hawthorn Hawks MCG Sport Sydney Swans Tom Jones