New Consul-General in Jerusalem
Dr Alastair McPhail CMG OBE begins his assignment as HM Consul-General to Jerusalem
Dr Alastair McPhail
Today, 9 of January 2014, Dr Alastair McPhail CMG OBE began his assignment as Her Majesty’s Consul-General to Jerusalem, in succession to Sir Vincent Fean KCVO. He has moved to Jerusalem after two years in Southern, now South Sudan.
Dr McPhail studied modern languages, particularly Russian, at the University of Otago and then completed a PhD in Russian at Edinburgh University. After teaching Russian at Nottingham University and then working in publishing, Dr McPhail joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1994. He has worked in a wide range of FCO positions, with a focus on political/military work, security, development and peace processes, especially in northern Iraq and Sudan. Between 2011 and 2013 he served in Juba, first as HM Consul General and then as HM Ambassador to South Sudan following its independence. Before that, he was the Minister and Deputy Head of Mission in Rome from 2006 to 2009.
On his appointment as Her Majesty’s Consul-General, Jerusalem, Dr McPhail said:
I will be sorry to leave South Sudan but am honoured to have been appointed Her Majesty’s Consul-General in Jerusalem. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to work in this complex and fascinating region, to deepen the relationship between the Palestinian and British peoples, and to help international efforts to find a mutually acceptable, two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Curriculum Vitae
| Full name: | Dr Alastair McPhail OBE |
| Married to: | Pamela Joanne (Jo) |
| Children: | Two sons |
| March 2011 – present | Her Majesty’s Ambassador Juba, previously Consul General |
| April 2009 – Aug 2009 | Bamako, UK Special Envoy to Mali and Head Crisis Management Team |
| Jan 2006 – Mar 2009 | Rome, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission |
| April 2005 – Dec 2005 | Full-time Language Training (Italian) |
| July 2004 – April 2005 | UK Special Representative for Sudan |
| April 2002 – July 2004 | FCO, Head of Sudan Unit |
| Sept 2000 – April 2002 | FCO, Head of Egypt, Libya and Sudan Section, Near East and North Africa Department |
| Nov 1996 – Aug 2000 | Ankara, First Secretary (Political/Military) |
| Sept 1995 – Nov 1996 | Full-time Language Training (Arabic) |
| Sept 1994 – Sept 1995 | FCO, Nuclear Weapons Desk Officer, Security Policy Department |