Sir Roderic Michael John Lyne (born 31 March 1948) is a British former diplomat who served as British Ambassador to the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

from 2000 to 2004.

Early life and education

The son of a senior

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

officer who flew

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

s in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Lyne refused to go to Marlborough College because "there were no doors on the lavatories", so instead attended

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

on a bursary. He went on to read history at

Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, which he says was the only university to offer him an interview, on account of his poor A-level grades. Nevertheless, he was a good undergraduate student. Lyne received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2004.

Diplomatic career

Rod Lyne joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1970, and went to study at the Army School of Languages in 1971. His first posting was as

Third Secretary Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

to Moscow in 1972. He was sent to

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...

in 1974 and returned to the FCO in 1976. He was appointed

Assistant Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

to Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington in 1979. Lyne was posted as First Secretary to UKMIS New York City in 1982 where he served until 1986, when he was seconded to

Chatham House Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is an independent policy institute headquartered in London. Its stated mission is to provide commentary on world events and offer solutions to global challenges. It is ...

in London. From 1987 to 1990 he was Counsellor and

Head of Chancery A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

at the British Embassy in Moscow. Between 1990 and 1993 Lyne was head of the Soviet and then Eastern Department of the FCO. For three years from 1993, Rod Lyne was seconded to 10 Downing Street as

Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

to Prime Minister John Major, advising on foreign affairs, defence and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. From 1997 to 2000 Lyne served as Permanent Representative, UKMIS

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

before finishing his diplomatic career as HM Ambassador to Russia.Chatham House – Roderic Lyne biography
/ref> On his London postings, he usually commuted to

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...

by bicycle.

Post retirement

Sir Roderic Lyne is now vice-chairman at

where, from 1986 to 1987, he was a Visiting Research Fellow. He is an advisor to

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...

, who have been chosen to operate the Trade Bank of

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

, which will give banks access to the financial system of Iraq He was a special adviser to BP, which currently has major interests in Iraq. He is a non-executive director of

Petropavlovsk plc Petropavlovsk plc (formerly Peter Hambro Mining plc) is a London-based gold mining company with operations in Russia. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The Group was founded by Peter Hambro and Pavel Maslovskiy in 199 ...

(formerly Peter Hambro Mining). He is a member of the board of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce; the board of governors of

Kingston University , mottoeng = "Through Learning We Progress" , established = – gained University Status – Kingston Technical Institute , type = Public , endowment = £2.3 m (2015) , ...

; and is a governor of the

Ditchley Foundation The Ditchley Foundation is a foundation that holds conferences, with a primary focus on British-American relations. It is based at Ditchley Park near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. It was established as a privately funded charity in 1958 by phil ...

. From 2005 to 2007 he was a member of the Task Force of the Trilateral Commission on Russia. He was a member of the

Chilcot inquiry The Iraq Inquiry (also referred to as the Chilcot Inquiry after its chairman, Sir John Chilcot)2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

, having been appointed to the Privy Council in 2009. Several people have commented that he is the toughest inquisitor on the committee. He currently sits on the Advisory Council of the Front Row Group of Companies Ltd.

Personal life

Rod Lyne married Amanda Mary Smith in 1969. They have two sons (1971 and 1974) and one daughter (1981). A fanatical Manchester United supporter, he gave one of his sons the middle name "Charlton" after

Sir Bobby Charlton Sir Robert Charlton (born 11 October 1937) is an English former footballer who played either as a midfielder or a forward. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, he was a member of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World C ...

. A keen sportsman and outdoorsman, he took part in a half marathon through the streets of Moscow to publicise the plight of two endangered species of Siberian big cats. He also took on

Alastair Campbell Alastair John Campbell (born 25 May 1957) is a British journalist, author, strategist, broadcaster and activist known for his roles during Tony Blair's leadership of the Labour Party. Campbell worked as Blair's spokesman and campaign director ...

over three races in St Petersburg, which Campbell won 2–1.

References

External links

Official biography on Iraq Inquiry website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyne, Sir Roderic 1948 births Living people People educated at Eton College Alumni of the University of Leeds Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Russia Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of HM Diplomatic Service Council and directors of Chatham House Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British diplomats