Martin Harris CMG OBE (m1988) has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to Ukraine in succession to Dame Melinda Simmons DCMG, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment.

Martin will take up his appointment in September 2023.

On his appointment, Martin said: “I am delighted to be returning to Ukraine to lead our Embassy’s vital work in supporting the Ukrainian government and people as they defend their country and our common values. The UK’s relationship with Ukraine has never been stronger, and we will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Martin was previously in Kyiv from 2003 to 2008 where he was Deputy Head of Mission and Consul General.

Martin read History at Corpus. He was Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) from November 2017 to July 2022. He was previously the Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Moscow from April 2014 to December 2017.

Martin joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1991. He was Second Secretary at the UK Delegation to the OSCE in Vienna from 1992 to 1996. After leading the FCO’s Pakistan and Afghanistan Section in 1997 to 1998, he went to the British Embassy in Moscow to run the UK’s programme of technical assistance in the Russian Federation from 1999 until 2003.

Martin then moved to the British Embassy in Kyiv, where he was Consul General and Deputy Head of Mission. He returned to London in 2008 working as an adviser in the Cabinet Office on Afghanistan, Pakistan, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In 2010 Martin was appointed as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Romania, a post he held until April 2014.

Martin was awarded a CMG (Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George) for services to British foreign policy in this year's New Year's Honours. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2010.

Martin is married to Linda MacLachlan (m1987), who read who read Economics and English, and then followed up with an MPhil in Linguistics. They met as students in Corpus, where they both sang in the Chapel Choir and married in the College Chapel. They have three children.