According to British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mr. Rob Macaire CMG has been appointed as the new Britain’s Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran in succession to Mr. Nicholas Hopton who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr. Macaire will take up his appointment in April 2018.

Commenting on the appointment, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said, “Iran has an important role to play in the Middle East region, but it is essential that it does so in a constructive way – something I made clear during my visit to Tehran in December last year. The Iran deal, signed in 2015, was a huge diplomatic success. The product of years of patient and persistent diplomacy that extinguished the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.”

In that vein, I am pleased that Rob will be applying his wealth of international experience to the leading HMG’s engagement in Tehran. We face challenges – including the ongoing cases of British dual-nationals detained in Iran – and areas for potential collaboration. I look forward to working with him across these areas.

Mr. Macaire said, “I am honoured to be appointed the new British Ambassador to Iran. The UK’s continued engagement with Iran is vital to our goal of making the Middle East region a safer and more stable place. I look forward to working with the Government of Iran and with international partners to preserve the nuclear deal and deepen our bilateral relationship, through constructive engagement on human rights, trade, and seeking political solutions to the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere.”

Born on February 19, 1966, British diplomat Robert (Rob) Nigel Paul Macaire held the position of British High Commissioner to Kenya for three years between 2008 and 2011. His most recent posting was heading the government affairs and political risk functions at BG Group plc for five years between 2011 and 2016.

BG Group plc was a British multinational oil and gas company which was acquired by Royal Dutch Shell for $70 billion on 15 February 2016.

At his LinkedIn account, he has introduced himself as, “British diplomat with experience in Kenya, India, United States, Middle East and Romania. Most recently headed government affairs and political risk functions at BG Group plc. Background includes conflict management, international development, counter-terrorism, multilateral negotiation.”