Giles Portman is a British

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

, currently serving as the British ambassador to Romania, since October 2023. Prior to this, his senior roles in the

His 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 affairs and representing British interests overseas, as opposed to the Civil Service, which deals ...

include Director for Europe, Director for EU Exit, and Deputy Head of Mission Turkey.

Early life

He was awarded a scholarship at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

and studied Classics and English at

Lady Margaret Hall Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formally known under ...

Diplomatic career

From 2003-6 he was the United Kingdom's negotiator for

EU enlargement The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria ...

, concluding the talks over Bulgaria and Romania's entry to the European Union, and chairing EU negotiations for the start of accession talks with Croatia and Turkey. From 2011 to 2019 he worked in the European External Action Service. From 2011 to 2015 he was an Adviser to the EU High Representative/Vice President. From 2015 to 2019 he led the

East Stratcom Task Force The East StratCom Task Force (ESCTF or ESTF) is a part of the European External Action Service, focused on "effective communication" and promotion of European Union activities in Eastern Europe (including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Mol ...

, set up by EU Heads of State and Government to identify, analyse and respond to Russian disinformation. In 2019 East Stratcom's work was recognised through the award of the medal of honour "Diplomacy Star of Lithuania", the highest distinction of the Lithuanian diplomatic service

Personal life

He was a member of the Council of Experts of the Democratic Progress Institute, a London-based NGO focused on conflict resolution, from 2015 to 2019. He was cited in 2004 in discussions in the Czech Senate over changing the name of the Czech Republic to Czechia in English. His wife Lucie is the great grand-daughter of Czechoslovak statesman and economist

Karel Engliš Karel Engliš (17 August 188015 June 1961) was a Czech economist, political scientist, and founder of teleological economic theory.Holman, Robert, et al. ('History of economic thought'). Prague: C. H. Beck, 2005. . p. 504. Engliš was th ...

References

{{s-end British diplomats Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Romania Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford