| Office | British Ambassador to Yemen |
|---|---|
| Term start | February 2018 |
| Predecessor | Simon Shercliff |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II Charles III |
| Prime minister | |
| Office 1 | British Ambassador to Sudan |
| Term start 1 | 2015 |
| Term end 1 | 2018 |
| Predecessor 1 | Peter Tibber |
| Successor 1 | Irfan Siddiq |
| Monarch 1 | Elizabeth II |
| Prime minister 1 | David Cameron Theresa May |
| Office 2 | British Ambassador to Libya |
| Term start 2 | 2013 |
| Term end 2 | 2015 |
| Predecessor 2 | Sir Dominic Asquith |
| Successor 2 | Peter Millett |
| Monarch 2 | Elizabeth II |
| Prime minister 2 | David Cameron |
| Office 3 | British Ambassador to Iraq |
| Term start 3 | 2011 |
| Term end 3 | 2012 |
| Predecessor 3 | John Jenkins |
| Successor 3 | Simon Collis |
| Monarch 3 | Elizabeth II |
| Prime minister 3 | David Cameron |
| Office 4 | British Ambassador to Kuwait |
| Term start 4 | 2008 |
| Term end 4 | 2009 |
| Predecessor 4 | Stuart Laing |
| Successor 4 | Frank Baker |
| Monarch 4 | Elizabeth II |
| Prime minister 4 | Gordon Brown |
| Birth name | Michael Douglas Aron |
| Birth date | 22 March 1959 (age 67) |
| Education | Exeter School University of Leeds Polytechnic of Central London |
| Spouse | Rachel Barker (divorced) |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Term end | August 2021 |
| Succeeded | Richard Oppenheim |
Michael Douglas Aron (born 22 March 1959) is a British diplomat who has been Ambassador to Kuwait, Iraq, Libya and Sudan, and Yemen.
Career
Aron was educated at Exeter School, Leeds University and the Polytechnic of Central London. He taught English in Sudan before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1984. He has served at New York, Brasília and Brussels. He was Ambassador to Kuwait 2008–09, Head of the Middle East Department at the FCO 2010–11, Ambassador to Iraq 2011–12, acting Head of Mission at Tripoli September 2012 to January 2013, and Ambassador to Libya from January 2013[1][2] until June 2015.[3]
After the outbreak of the Libyan Civil War in 2014, Aron supervised the evacuation of British citizens from Tripoli on the Royal Navy survey ship HMS Enterprise. He and his remaining staff then closed the embassy and left Libya to set up a temporary office in Tunis.[4]
In April 2015, Aron was appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Sudan, and took up the appointment in August of that year.[5] In February 2018 he was transferred at short notice to be Ambassador to Yemen.[6]
After completing his time as Ambassador to Yemen, Aron returned to the FCDO, London in July 2021 and retired from the Diplomatic Service in October 2022.
Since October 2022, Aron has been Chief International Affairs Officer of the Yemeni family-owned conglomerate HSA Group.
Family
Aron was married to Rachel (née Barker) who was also a diplomat, now retired after being British Ambassador to Belgium from 2007 to 2010. They have two sons and two daughters.[7] They divorced in 2016.
Aron remarried in 2018 to Kate Orrick, who is currently Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, Stockholm. They have one son and one daughter together.
References
- ^ ARON, Michael Douglas, Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2013
- ^ Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Libya, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 14 January 2013
- ^ Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Libya, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 10 April 2015
- ^ Spencer, Richard (3 August 2014). "Royal Navy evacuates 100 Britons from Libya as fighting worsens". The Telegraph
- ^ Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Sudan, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 10 April 2015
- ^ Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Yemen, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 23 February 2018
- ^ ARON, Rachel Ann Golding, Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2013