Michael Anthony Arthur

British diplomat (born 1950)

Sir

Michael Arthur

KCMG

Sir Michael and Lady Arthur dressed in shalwar kameez at The Doon School, India.

British Ambassador to Germany
In office
2007–2010
Monarch| Elizabeth II
President| Horst Köhler
Prime Minister| Gordon Brown
Chancellor| Angela Merkel
Preceded by| Sir Peter Torry
Succeeded by| Sir Simon McDonald
British High Commissioner to India
In office
2003–2007
Monarch| Elizabeth II
Preceded by| Sir Rob Young
Succeeded by| Sir Richard Stagg
Personal details
Born|

Michael Anthony Arthur

(1950-08-28) 28 August 1950 (age 74)
Vancouver, Canada
Nationality| British
Spouse| Plaxy Gillian Beatrice
Children| 4
Education| Watford Grammar and Rugby School
Alma mater| Balliol College, Oxford

Sir Michael Anthony Arthur KCMG (born 28 August 1950), a senior British diplomat, was Her Majesty's British Ambassador to Germany, 2007–10.[1] 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

[edit]

Arthur had previously worked in a number of positions within the Diplomatic Service, 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. Between 1981 and 1984, he was Private Secretary to the Lord Privy Seal and Minister of State in the Foreign Office, and in 1984 became First Secretary Political at the British Embassy in Bonn (then the administrative capital of West Germany). He was a Political Counselor at the Embassy in Paris from 1993 to 1997 and Deputy Head of Mission in Washington from 1999 to 2001.[1]

In 2001, he was appointed Director General Europe and Economic at the Foreign Office and in 2003 succeeded Sir Rob Young as High Commissioner in New Delhi. He became Ambassador to Germany in 2007, succeeding Sir Peter Torry.[1]

Arthur retired from HM Diplomatic Service 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.[2]

In 2013 Arthur joined Boeing UK and Ireland as a managing director,[3] 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

[edit]

He was educated at Watford Grammar school and then Rugby School before going up to Balliol College Oxford, becoming a fluent French and German speaker.[3] He is married to Plaxy Gillian Beatrice, and has four children.[1]

## See also

[edit]

* British Embassy, Berlin

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Our Ambassador". British Embassy, Berlin. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
2. ^ "Appointment of Ambassador to Germany". The Times. 12 December 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2010.[dead link‍]
3. ^ a b "From diplomat to president". The Telegraph. 12 December 2017. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 August 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* Website of the British Embassy in Berlin

Diplomatic posts

Preceded by

Sir Rob Young

|  British High Commissioner to India
2003–2007  | Succeeded by

Sir Richard Stagg

Preceded by

Sir Peter Torry

|  British Ambassador to Germany
2007–2010  | Succeeded by

Sir Simon McDonald

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany