Thomas de Fonblanque

Tom is a serving U.K. diplomat. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2012, and has had postings working on political affairs at the British Embassy in Beijing (Second Secretary, 2013-14) and the British High Commission in Islamabad (Deputy Political Counsellor, 2019-22). In London, he has worked on Middle East issues, been a Private Secretary (Chief of Staff) to two U.K. Foreign Secretaries and a Minister of State, and most recently served as Deputy Head of Geopolitics, helping to reshape the U.K.'s international strategy. He has more or less kept up his Mandarin. Outside work/school, Tom would rather be in the mountains or at sea, climbing, skiing, or sailing. He also loves going to the theatre, and is proud of his one stage credit as a Mechanical (with six lines) in an amateur production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.