Matthew Lodge (diplomat)

Matthew James Lodge (born 3 June 1968) is a British diplomat. Since September 2021, he has been Ambassador to Greece. Previously, he served as UK Ambassador to Finland (2010–2013) and UK Ambassador to Kuwait (2014–2017).

Matthew Lodge
Lodge in 2013
British Ambassador to Greece
Assumed office
September 2021
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Preceded byKate Smith
British Ambassador to Kuwait
In office
2014–2017
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Theresa May
Preceded byFrank Baker
Succeeded byMichael Davenport
British Ambassador to Finland
In office
2010–2013
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byValerie Caton
Succeeded bySarah Price
Personal details
Born
Matthew James Lodge

(1968-06-03) 3 June 1968
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Birmingham (BA)

Early life and education

Lodge was born on 3 June 1968 in Crosby, Lancashire, England. He was educated at Abingdon School, a private school in Oxfordshire.[1]

Military service

On 10 September 1986, Lodge was commissioned in the Royal Marines as a second lieutenant, with seniority in that rank from 1 September 1986.[2] Having been awarded a university cadetship,[3][4] he studied modern languages (French and Russian) at the University of Birmingham, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons) degree.[1][3] He reached the rank of lieutenant, before retiring from the Royal Marines on 4 May 1996 after ten years of service.[5]

Diplomatic career

Lodge joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1996.[3] His early appointments were initially focused on the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean.[3] He was private secretary to the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2007.[1] He was deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq in 2007, and then attended the Higher Command and Staff Course in 2008.[1][3]

From 2008 to 2010, Lodge was head of the Afghanistan Group in the FCO.[1] He served as Her Majesty's Ambassador to Finland from 2010 to 2013, and Her Majesty's Ambassador to the State of Kuwait from 2014 to 2017.[3] In 2017, he was made a minister at the British Embassy in Paris, in addition to serving as ambassador and permanent delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).[3] He was promoted to deputy head of mission in 2020.[1] In December 2020, it was announced that he would be the next British Ambassador to Greece.[6] He presented his credentials to Katerina Sakellaropoulou, President of the Hellenic Republic, on 22 September 2021.[7]

References
  1. "Lodge, Matthew James, (born 3 June 1968), HM Diplomatic Service; Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic, since 2021". Who's Who 2022. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  2. "No. 50702". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 November 1986. p. 14181.
  3. "British Ambassador to Greece: Matthew Lodge". GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  4. "No. 51101". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 October 1987. pp. 13216–13217.
  5. "No. 54389". The London Gazette. 3 May 1996. p. 6354.
  6. "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Greece: Matthew Lodge". GOV.UK. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  7. "ANNOUNCEMENT: New British Ambassador to Greece, Matthew Lodge, presented his credentials - BHCC". British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
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