John Kittmer (born 6 July 1967) is a British former diplomat. He was formerly the Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory jointly with the British Antarctic Territory.[2]
John Kittmer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory and the British Antarctic Territory | |
| In office December 2016 – July 2017 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Peter Hayes |
| Succeeded by | Ben Merrick |
| British Ambassador to Greece | |
| In office January 2013 – December 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron Theresa May |
| Preceded by | David Landsman |
| Succeeded by | Kate Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 July 1967 Cuckfield, Sussex |
| Domestic partner | David Bates[1] |
| Education | Hymers College, Hull |
| Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge King's College, London Magdalen College, Oxford |
Education
editKittmer was born in Sussex in 1967. From the years 1978–1985, he was educated at Hymers College,[3] an independent day school in Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England, where he was taught Ancient Greek by Larry Trewartha and Gerald Thompson.[3] Kittmer then attended Christ's College at the University of Cambridge, where he obtained a BA in Classics (1988), King's College London where he obtained an MA in Greek Studies (2007),[3] and Magdalen College at the University of Oxford, at which he also studied classics.[3]
Life and career
editKittmer joined the civil service in 1993, first at the Department for Education and Employment before moving to the UK's Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels in 1998 as a First Secretary. He returned to London for posts in the FCO in 2002, DEFRA from 2004, the Cabinet Office in 2006–7, and back to DEFRA until 2012.[2]
Kittmer served as the British Ambassador to Greece from January 2013 until December 2016.[1][4] He was succeeded in this role by Kate Smith in January 2017.[5]
Kittmer was appointed to replace Peter Hayes as the Commissioner for the British Overseas Territories of the British Indian Ocean Territory and the British Antarctic Territory starting in December 2016. In June 2017, he left this post on a career break to continue his academic studies. In June 2019, he left the civil service permanently.
Kittmer currently sits on the board of directors of the Greek oil tanker company Okeanis.
Personal life and honours
editKittmer self-identifies as a 'northerner'. Kittmer entered into a civil partnership with David Bates in 2007.[2] He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix in April 2021.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "John Kittmer - Inside Government". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ a b c KITTMER, John (online ed.). Oxford University Press [A & C Black]. 2014.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ a b c d "Old Hymerian becomes Her Majesty's Ambassador to Greece". Old Hymerians Association. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Postgraduate student appointed Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic". King's College London. 2012. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Greece". www.gov.uk. Press releases. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ "DR JOHN KITTMER RECEIVES AN AWARD FROM THE GREEK AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED KINGDOM". St. Paul's Anglican Church, Athens. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
