Sir James Sebastian Lamin Wood, KCMG (Chinese: 吳思田; pinyin: Wú Sītián; born 6 April 1961), usually known by his middle name Sebastian, is a British diplomat who was the Ambassador to China from 2010 to 2015,[1] and Ambassador to Germany from 2015 to 2020.
Sebastian Wood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| British Ambassador to Germany | |
| In office 21 September 2015 – 10 November 2020 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| President | Joachim Gauck Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron Theresa May Boris Johnson |
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Sir Simon McDonald |
| Succeeded by | Jill Gallard |
| British Ambassador to China | |
| In office 2010–2015 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| President | Hu Jintao Xi Jinping |
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown David Cameron |
| Premier | Wen Jiabao Li Keqiang |
| Preceded by | Sir William Ehrman |
| Succeeded by | Dame Barbara Woodward |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 April 1961 London, England |
| Spouse | Sirinat Wood |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence(s) | Berlin, Germany |
| Education | Emanuel School |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Career
editWood was educated at Emanuel School in London, then studied mathematics and philosophy at Magdalen College, Oxford, before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1983. He was posted to the British Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand; then was appointed as a First Secretary to the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group working on the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong.[2]
In 2002, while posted as a Counsellor at the British Embassy in Washington DC, he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG).[3]
Ambassador to China
editIn 2010, he was granted his first ambassadorship as British Ambassador to China.[4] He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to British prosperity and British interests in China.[5]
Ambassador to Germany
editIn July 2015 the FCO announced that Wood was to become British Ambassador to Germany in September 2015.[6][7]
In July 2020 it was announced that he would retire from the Diplomatic Service in November, and be succeeded by Jill Gallard as Ambassador to Germany.[8]
Personal life
editWood is married to Sirinat Wood, a Thai,[9] and has one son and three daughters.[6]
References
edit- ^ HE Mr Sebastian Wood, CMG, Debrett's, 2010
- ^ British Ambassador to China: Sebastian Wood, Government of the United Kingdom.
- ^ "No. 56735". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 October 2002. p. 9.
- ^ Sebastian Wood new UK ambassador to China, China Daily, 27 January 2010.
- ^ "No. 60895". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2014. p. b4.
- ^ a b "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Germany". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Sir Sebastian Wood wird neuer britischer Botschafter in Berlin" [Sir Sebastian Wood becomes new British ambassador in Berlin]. Berliner Morgenpost (in German). 19 September 2015.
- ^ "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Germany: November 2020" (Press release). Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ Samrai, Yasmin (21 September 2018). "Diplomacy is a '24 hour rolling news cycle,' says UK Ambassador to Germany". The Local. Retrieved 16 June 2020.