Simon Paul Collis, (23 February 1956) is a former British ambassador to several Middle Eastern countries before retiring from diplomatic service in February 2020.
Biography
Collis was educated at
King Edward VII School, Sheffield
King Edward VII School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
History
King Edward VII School, named after the reigning monarch, was formed in 1905 when Wesley College was merged wit ...
, from 1967 until 1973 and at
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...
.
He joined
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
His Majesty's Diplomatic Service (HMDS) is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, dealing with Foreign policy, foreign affairs and representing British interests overseas, as opposed to the Civil Servi ...
in 1978 and served his first posting as Second Secretary in
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
from 1981 to 1984. From 1984– 1986 he served as Middle East Spokesman in the News Department of the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries of fore ...
. In 1986 he temporarily served at the UK mission in New York. From 1987 to 1988 he was Head of India Section in the South Asia Department. From 1988 to 1990 he was Deputy Head of Mission in
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
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, utc_offset1 ...
. From 1990 to 1991 he was in the Gulf War Emergency Unit. From 1991 to 1994 he served as First Secretary in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. From 1994 to 1996 he was Deputy Head of the Near East & North Africa Department. From 1996 to 1999 he was Deputy Head of Mission in
Amman
Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...
,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
. From 1999 to 2000 he was seconded to
BP. From 2000 to 2004 he was Consul-General in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
,
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
.
He was Consul General in Basra between 2004 and 2005. He was
British Ambassador to Qatar 2005–07, and
British Ambassador to Syria 2007–2012. He left Syria in February 2012, after the British Government withdrew their staff there.
He was
British Ambassador to Iraq
The Ambassador from the United Kingdom to Iraq is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in Iraq, and head of the UK's diplomatic mission in Iraq. The official title is ''His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the Republic of Ira ...
from 2012 until September 2014.
[Iraq Business News](_blank)
retrieved 3 July 2012 He presented his credentials as
British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in Saudi Arabia, and in charge of the UK's diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia. The official title is ''His Britannic Majesty's Ambassa ...
on 3 February 2015.
Collis was appointed
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
(CMG) in the
2014 Birthday Honours
The 2014 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...
for services to British interests in Iraq and Syria.
In 2016, Collis became the first UK ambassador to perform the Islamic pilgrimage of
Hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...
after
converting to Islam
Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...
.
In 2020, Collis retired as ambassador to Saudi Arabia and from diplomatic service.
Notes
References
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External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collis, Simon
1956 births
Living people
Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge
People educated at King Edward VII School, Sheffield
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Syria
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Qatar
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Iraq
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Members of HM Diplomatic Service
British Muslims
Converts to Islam
20th-century British diplomats