Sherard Cowper-Coles

Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles started work in Kabul as Ambassador to Afghanistan on 15th May 2007.

Most recently, Sherard served as British Ambassador in Saudi Arabia from 2003 to 2007. Before that he spent 20 months as British Ambassador to Israel (the first Arabic-speaker to have been appointed there), and nearly two and a half years as Principal Private Secretary to the then British Foreign Secretary, the late Robin Cook.

Sherard was born in London in 1955. He joined the Diplomatic Service immediately after studying Greek, Latin, philosophy and ancient history at Oxford. He spent nearly two years learning Arabic before his first posting, to the British Embassy in Cairo.

Sherard’s later overseas postings included political jobs in the British Embassies in Washington and Paris. In between he worked in London as a Foreign Office speech-writer, as Private Secretary to the Permanent Under-Secretary, and working on the future of NATO after the end of the Cold War. He was Head of the Foreign Office Hong Kong Department for three years leading up to the handover of the Territory in 1997.

Sherard is married to Bridget, whom he met in Cairo, and who read Arabic at London University. They have four sons and a daughter, all working or studying in England.

Sherard is learning Pashto. He also speaks French, Arabic, and some Hebrew.