Matt Baugh (born 24 July 1973) is a British diplomat who was ambassador to Somalia, the first for 20 years.

Career

Baugh was educated at

The Oratory School The Oratory School () is an HMC co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Catholic Church, Catholic boarding and day school for pupils aged 11–18 located in Woodcote, north-west of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, England. F ...

and

Bristol University The University of Bristol is a public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Bristol, which had ...

. After graduating BA in history and MSc in international policy, he joined the British civil service in the

Department for International Development The Department for International Development (DFID) was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom, from 1997 to 2020. It was responsible for administering foreign aid ...

(DFID). After various posts he was head of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit (now the Stabilisation Unit) 2005–06, head of DFID's Iraq department 2006–07, and Principal Private Secretary to the

Secretary of State for International Development The minister of state for development, formerly the minister of state for development and Africa and the secretary of state for international development, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The offic ...

(

Douglas Alexander Douglas Garven Alexander (born 26 October 1967) is a British politician who has served as Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security since 2024, having previously held the role from 2004 to 2005. He has also served as Minister o ...

) 2008–09.BAUGH, (John William) Matthew
''Who's Who 2014'', A & C Black, 2014 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2014) Baugh was DFID's representative for Somalia 2010–11, and in February 2012 he was appointed the UK's Ambassador to Somalia, the first to serve in over twenty years. Baugh initially worked out of the British diplomatic office in Nairobi. On 25 April 2013, he re-located to

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

, as the UK diplomatic mission for Somalia officially re-opened its embassy in the Somali capital. On 6 June 2013, Baugh was succeeded by Neil Wigan as the British ambassador to Somalia; Baugh was appointed OBE in the

2013 Birthday Honours The 2013 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 t ...

"for services to promoting peace and security in Somalia" and transferred to be head of the Africa department (Central and Southern) at the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

in London, before being transferred to become the head of East and West Africa Department.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baugh, Matt 1973 births Living people People educated at The Oratory School Alumni of the University of Bristol Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Somalia Officers of the Order of the British Empire