Sir Michael Anthony Arthur (born 28 August 1950), a senior British diplomat, was Her Majesty's British Ambassador to Germany, 2007–10. Previously, he served as the UK's High Commissioner in New Delhi. He then spent 8 years as a Vice President of the Boeing Company, including 4 years on the Executive Council as President of Boeing International. Arthur was succeeded as British Ambassador to Germany by Sir Simon McDonald (''later'' Baron McDonald of Salford).

Career

Arthur had previously worked in a number of positions within the

Diplomatic Service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtain diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

, starting out in 1972 in the UK Mission to the United Nations, and moving in 1973 to the UK's Mission in Geneva working on the additional protocols to the

Geneva Convention upright=1.15, The original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are international humanitarian laws consisting of four treaties and three additional protocols that establish international legal standards for humanitarian t ...

. Between 1981 and 1984, he was Private Secretary to the

Lord Privy Seal The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and abov ...

and Minister of State in the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

, and in 1984 became First Secretary Political at the British Embassy in

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

(then the administrative capital of

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

). He was a Political Counselor at the Embassy in Paris from 1993 to 1997 and Deputy Head of Mission in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

from 1999 to 2001. In 2001, he was appointed Director General Europe and Economic at the

and in 2003 succeeded Sir Rob Young as High Commissioner in New Delhi. He became Ambassador to Germany in 2007, succeeding Sir Peter Torry. Arthur retired from

HM 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 ...

in October 2010, being succeeded in Berlin by Sir Simon McDonald, a former British Ambassador to Israel and Head of Foreign and Defence Policy,

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for supporting the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister and Cabinet ...

. In 2013 Arthur joined

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

UK and Ireland as a managing director, then appointed senior vice president of Boeing and president of Boeing International (the first ever non American on the Executive Council) from 22 April 2019 until January 2023

Personal life

He was educated at Watford Grammar school and then

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

before going up to

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, becoming a fluent French and German speaker. He is married to Plaxy Gillian Beatrice, and has four children.

References

External links

Website of the British Embassy in Berlin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Michael Anthony 1950 births Living people People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Members of HM Diplomatic Service Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Germany Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century British diplomats

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links