Sir Simon Lawrance Gass GCMG CVO (born 2 November 1956) is a British civil servant. He chaired the Joint Intelligence Committee from 2019 to 2023 and served as the British Prime Minister's representative on Afghanistan from 2021 to 2022 concurrently. Between 2018 and 2019, he was the Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies. During his diplomatic career, he served as British ambassador to Greece and to Iran. In May 2023, it was announced he was stepping down as Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and succeeded by Madeleine Alessandri.
Sir Simon Gass | |
|---|---|
 Gass in June 2011 | |
| Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee | |
| In office 2019 – July 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May Boris Johnson Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Charles Farr |
| Succeeded by | Madeleine Alessandri |
| British Ambassador to Iran | |
| In office 2009–2011 | |
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Sir Geoffrey Adams |
| Succeeded by | Dominick Chilcott |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 November 1956 |
| Spouse | Marianne Enid Stott (1980–present) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Reading |
Career
edit- 1977 – Joined the FCO
- 1979–83 – Lagos
- 1984–87 – Athens
- 1987–90 – FCO in London
- 1990–92 – Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary, London
- 1992–95 – Rome
- 1995–98 – Counsellor, FCO
- 1998–01 – Deputy High Commissioner South Africa
- 2001–04 – Director, Resources, then Finance, FCO
- 2004–09 – Ambassador to Greece
- 2009–11 – Ambassador to Iran
- 2011–12 – NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan
- 2013–16 – Political Director, FCO, and Prime Minister's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
- 2017–present – Chair of the FCDO Services Board
- 2018–2019 – Commandant Royal College of Defence Studies[1]
- 2021–2022 – Prime Minister’s Special Representative for the Afghan Transition[2]
- 2019–2023 – Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee[3][4]
Ambassador to Iran
editHe was British Ambassador to Iran 2009–11. He arrived in post during the spring of 2009 from his previous posting in Greece and was present during the June 2009 protests following the disputed re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.
Following these events Gass posted his views from Tehran on the social networking site Twitter, commenting on the Iranian regime's record on human rights, political prisoners and freedom of speech. His 'tweets' are shared widely by Iranian reformists and diaspora across the web as well as being featured in mainstream media.[5] In January 2011, Gass passed the 1000 follower mark, making him one of the most followed diplomats on Twitter.
In December 2010, Gass's digital activities caused mild uproar among Iranian politicians, who called for his expulsion after he highlighted the case of human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh in an article posted on the British Embassy in Iran website. The statement was released on International Human Rights Day and criticised Iran's human rights record.[6] The Foreign and Commonwealth Office defended Gass's comments, which gained widespread approval from his Iranian reformist followers on Twitter.
NATO and FCO
editIn February 2011 Gass was seconded to NATO as Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan.[7] After serving in this post for 18 months he returned to the FCO in London as Director General, Political, and the Prime Minister's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.[8] He retired from the FCO in 2016.
FCDO Services
editIn 2017, Gass was appointed Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Board of FCDO Services.
Honours
editGass was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1998 Birthday Honours, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 2011 New Year Honours,[9] and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to national security and British foreign policy.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Sir Simon Gass appointed as new Commandant Royal College of Defence Studies". Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ "Sir Simon Gass". gov.uk. Cabinet Office. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "Joint Intelligence Committee Chair appointed: Sir Simon Gass". gov.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- ^ "Joint Intelligence Committee Chair appointed: Madeleine Alessandri CMG". gov.uk. UK Cabinet Office. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
The Cabinet Secretary, with the approval of the Prime Minister, has announced the appointment of Madeleine Alessandri CMG as the new Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and head of the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO). Madeleine will replace Simon Gass who is stepping down after four years in the role.
- ^ Britain's Ambassador sends angry Tweet ..., Metro Online, 13 August 2010
- ^ Iranian politicians call for UK ambassador recall, BBC News, 13 December 2010
- ^ NATO Secretary General appoints new Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, 9 February 2011
- ^ Simon Gass, gov.uk
- ^ "No. 59647". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2010. p. 3.
- ^ "No. 64082". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2023. p. B3.
External links
edit- Gov.uk profile
- British Embassy in Tehran
- UK in Iran Facebook Page
- Article by Simon Gass: International Human Rights Day, British Embassy Tehran, 10 December 2010, via archive.org