{{Short description|British diplomat}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}} {{Use British English|date=May 2014}} '''Sir Brian James Proetel Fall''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCVO|KCMG}} (born 13 December 1937) is a retired British diplomat who was the UK's Special Representative for the South Caucasus 2002–2012.
==Education== Brian Fall was educated at St Paul's School, London, Magdalen College, Oxford, and the University of Michigan Law School.
== Career == After National Service in the British Army 1955–57, he continued as a reserve officer of the Royal Military Police.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=41206 |supp=y |page=6114 |date=22 October 1957}}</ref> He entered the Diplomatic Service in 1962 and was appointed an established officer of the Service in 1965.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=43871 |page=330 |date=11 January 1966}}</ref> He served in Moscow and Geneva before a year as Course Director at the Civil Service College 1970–71. After serving in the Foreign Office and as consul at New York<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=46505 |page=2796 |date=28 February 1975}}</ref> he spent a year as a visiting fellow at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University.
After another period in Moscow, 1977–79, Fall was head of the Energy, Science and Space Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) 1979–80 and then head of the Eastern European and Soviet Department 1980–81. He then spent three years as Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, serving three Foreign Secretaries, Lord Carrington, Francis Pym and Sir Geoffrey Howe. He then worked for Lord Carrington again as Director of the Private Office of the Secretary General of NATO before being appointed Assistant Under Secretary of State (Defence) at the FCO 1986–88. He was then Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Washington 1988–89, High Commissioner to Canada 1989–92 and Ambassador to Russia 1992–95. As Ambassador to Russia just after the break-up of the Soviet Union, Fall was also accredited to nine Post-Soviet states until they received their own ambassadors.
After retiring from the Diplomatic Service in 1995, Sir Brian Fall was principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, from 1995 to 2002. He was also an adviser to Rio Tinto Group and a governor of St Mary's School (Calne).
In 2002 Sir Brian was appointed the UK's Special Representative for Georgia,<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000956/http://www.gov-news.org/gov/uk/news/fco_announces_new_uk_special_representative/28024.html FCO Announces New UK Special Representative For Georgia]}}, 1 October 2002</ref> becoming a member of the "Group of Friends of the UN Secretary General on Georgia".<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/2002/oct/16/georgia Georgia] – ''Hansard'', 16 October 2002</ref> This appointment was later expanded to cover the whole of the South Caucasus.<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200607/ldhansrd/text/70522-0011.htm Lords ''Hansard'' text for 22 May 2007]</ref>
==Honours== Brian Fall was appointed CMG in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1984,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=49768 |supp=y |page=3 |date=16 June 1984}}</ref> knighted KCMG in the New Year Honours of 1992<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=52767 |supp=y |page=3 |date=31 December 1991}}</ref> and received the additional knighthood of GCVO in 1994.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=53852 |page=16181 |date=18 November 1994}}</ref> He was elected an honorary Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, on retiring as Principal.<ref>[http://www.lmh.ox.ac.uk/Tutors/Lecturers-%281%29/Profiles/Sir-Brian-Fall.aspx Profile: Sir Brian Fall] – Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford</ref> He was awarded an honorary doctorate by York University, Toronto, in 2002.<ref>[http://news.yorku.ca/2002/10/28/york-university-to-award-honorary-degrees-to-former-ontario-lt-gov-hilary-weston-retired-british-diplomat-sir-brian-fall/ York University to award honorary degrees to former Ontario Lt.-Gov. Hilary Weston, retired British diplomat Sir Brian Fall] – York University</ref>
==Offices held== {{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{s-bef |before=George Walden }} {{s-ttl |title =Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary |years=1982–1984}} {{s-aft |after =Leonard Appleyard}} {{s-bef |before=Sir Alan Urwick}} {{s-ttl |title =High Commissioner to Canada |years=1989–1992 }} {{s-aft |after =Nicholas Bayne }} {{s-bef |before=Sir Rodric Braithwaite}} {{s-ttl |title =Ambassador to Russia |years=1992–1995}} {{s-aft |after =Sir Andrew Wood}} {{s-academic}} {{s-bef|before=Duncan Stewart}} {{s-ttl|title=Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford |years=1995–2002}} {{s-aft|after=Frances Lannon}} {{s-end}}
==References== * [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U15413 FALL, Sir Brian (James Proetel)], ''Who's Who 2014'', A & C Black, 2014 (online edition, Oxford University Press, Dec 2013) * {{cite web |url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/who-we-are/special-representatives/brian-fall |title=Sir Brian Fall: Special Representative for South Caucasus |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011090152/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/who-we-are/special-representatives/brian-fall |archivedate=11 October 2012 |df=dmy |publisher=Foreign & Commonwealth Office |date=9 September 2010}} {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fall, Brian James Proetel}} Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:People educated at St Paul's School, London Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Category:University of Michigan Law School alumni Category:Harvard Fellows Category:Principal private secretaries to the secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs Category:High commissioners of the United Kingdom to Canada Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Russia Category:Principals of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order