the wellington college year book 2010/2011
106
A
fter thirty years (and
still counting) in a varied
Diplomatic Service career,
I can look back and say
Wellington was pretty
good preparation. Having my daughter Laura
currently in The Apsley reminds me that
Wellington is a very different and probably
better school now. But the Wellington I
attended certainly gave me the confidence,
adaptability and resilience to take on some
pretty challenging jobs in far-away places?—?not
to mention the fascinating expedition which
the late Peter Willey led to the Valleys of the
Assassins in Iran in which I participated, and
which instilled in me a love for adventurous
travel and an interest in the Middle East.
Of course the fco was also a different
organisation in those days. There was not
a lot of choice over foreign postings and
you went to where you were sent. My first
posting as Third Secretary to the British High
Commission in steamy Georgetown in Guyana
was quite a surprise. I arrived to a major
diplomatic and cricketing crisis, with the West
Indies threatening to boycott the England
Test Team due to some members having
trained in South Africa during the winter
months. I also had to deal with a military
coup in neighbouring Surinam, and political
violence in Guyana. All good experience plus
the opportunity to travel widely throughout
South America and the Caribbean.
My next Post as Commercial Attaché in
Paris was quite a contrast, and I went on to
Tunis as Consul and Commercial Secretary.
Next stop after Tunis was Jerusalem, and
Yasser Arafat followed in my wake. I had a
fascinating three years as Deputy then Acting
Consul General during the Oslo Process, with
frequent trips to Gaza and the West Bank.
After Jerusalem I was assigned to the eu in
Brussels as Political Adviser to the first eu
Special Envoy to the Middle East, travelling
extensively throughout the region. I went
on to serve in Ankara as Economic and
Commercial Counsellor, in Kuwait as Deputy
Head of Mission, and after a spell in Cairo
outside the fco, to Riyadh in my present role
as Director of uk Trade and Investment for
Saudi Arabia.
Funnily enough, one of my first visits back
to Wellington after many years was to bring
the Saudi Minister of Education, Prince Faisal
bin Abdullah, to visit. I know His Highness
was highly impressed by his tour. On my
arrival in Riyadh I was surprised to find that
the Ambassador (and my boss), Sir Tom
!
Phillips, was an ow? [M 1963–1966] And on
my first visit to Jeddah I met Sheikh Khaled
Ali Reza, head of one of the main trading
conglomerates in the Kingdom, who himself
is an ow [Bd 1963–1967].
So its a small world and full of surprises.
Wellington certainly taught me the importance
of relationship building and respect, as well
as persevering with a task. I certainly could
not have survived the fco or the Middle East
without this, and look forward to the day
Wellington opens a campus in Saudi Arabia?!
chris innes-hopkins
c 1967–1971
Director of UK Trade & Investment,
British Consulate, Saudi Arabia