{{Short description|British diplomat}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = His Excellency | name = Neil Wigan | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CVO|OBE}} | image = Neil Wigan.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = | order = | office = British High Commissioner to Kenya | term_start = 16 August 2023 | term_end = 31 August 2025 | monarch = Charles III | prime_minister = Rishi Sunak<br>Keir Starmer | predecessor = Jane Marriott | successor = | office1 = British Ambassador to Israel | term_start1 = 13 June 2019 | term_end1 = 16 August 2023 | monarch1 = Elizabeth II<br>Charles III | prime_minister1 = {{ubl|Theresa May|Boris Johnson|Liz Truss|Rishi Sunak}} | predecessor1 = David Quarrey | successor1 = Simon Walters | order2 = | office2 = British Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo | monarch2 = Elizabeth II | prime_minister2 = David Cameron | term_start2 = 2010 | term_end2 = 2013 | predecessor2 = Nicholas Kay | successor2 = Diane Corner | birth_date = | birth_place = | spouse = | children = 2 | alma_mater = University of Oxford <br> University of London <br> Johns Hopkins University | occupation = Diplomat | signature = | signature_alt = | website = }}
'''Desmond Patrick Neil Wigan''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CVO|OBE}} is a British diplomat who served as British High Commissioner to Kenya from 2023 to 2025. He previously served as the UK Ambassador to Somalia from 2013 to 2015.<ref name="Gonw">{{cite web|title=Neil Wigan|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/neil-wigan|website=gov.uk|accessdate=19 March 2015}}</ref> He also served as the British ambassador to Israel, June 2019 to June 2023, replacing David Quarrey.<ref name="Israel bio">{{Cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/neil-wigan |title=British Ambassador to Israel: Neil Wigan OBE |access-date=24 October 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/neil-wigan |title=British Ambassador to Israel: Neil Wigan OBE |website=gov.uk |access-date=24 October 2019}}</ref> In June 2023, he was appointed the British High Commissioner to Kenya, replacing Jane Marriott, who was appointed as British High Commissioner to Pakistan.<ref name="Kenya appointment">{{Cite web |title=Change of British High Commissioner to Kenya: Neil Wigan |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-british-high-commissioner-to-kenya-neil-wigan |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Marriott Pakistan">{{cite web|title=Change of British High Commissioner to Pakistan: Jane Marriott|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-british-high-commissioner-to-pakistan-jane-marriott|website=GOV.UK|date=15 June 2023|access-date=10 August 2025}}</ref> He left his post in 2025 to become Director General Strategy and Delivery at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).[https://nation.africa/kenya/news/british-envoy-wigan-bids-kenya-goodbye-joins-uk-foreign-office-5150634]
==Personal life== Wigan studied at the University of Oxford, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history. He also has an MSc in economics from the University of London and a Post-Graduate Diploma from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.<ref name="Gonw"/>
Wigan is married, and has two children.<ref name="Gonw"/> His wife, Yael, is Israeli, and he can speak basic Hebrew, which he learned from his wife and from watching Israeli shows on Netflix.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5525638,00.html|title = סגירת המעגל המרגשת של השגריר הבריטי בישראל| newspaper=Ynet |date = 16 June 2019| last1=אייכנר | first1=איתמר }}</ref>
==Career== Wigan joined the London-based Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2000. He initially was an Advisor in charge of UK's Economic Policies in the European Union, a position he held for two years. From August 2002 to January 2006, he was the Head of the Political Section at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel. Wigan subsequently acted as the Head of the Middle East and North Africa Group in London between February 2006 and April 2008. He later was the deputy director for Wider World in the Cabinet Office's Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat. In March 2010, he was also named as the UK Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo.<ref name="Gonw"/>
In June 2013, Wigan was appointed as the UK Ambassador to Somalia,<ref name="Cohmats">{{cite news |publisher=Foreign and Commonwealth Office|title=Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Somalia|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-her-majestys-ambassador-to-somalia|accessdate=7 June 2013|date=6 June 2013}}</ref> based at the British Embassy in Mogadishu. On 16 March 2015, Harriet Mathews was appointed as Wigan's successor as Ambassador; Wigan was to be transferred to another Diplomatic Service appointment.<ref name="Prcohmats">{{cite web|title=Press release: Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Somalia|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-her-majestys-ambassador-to-somalia--2|publisher=Foreign and Commonwealth Office|accessdate=17 March 2015}}</ref>
From November 2015 to September 2018, Wigan served as Director for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.<ref name="Kenya bio">{{cite web|title=New British High Commissioner excited to explore magical Kenya|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-high-commissioner-excited-to-explore-magical-kenya|website=GOV.UK|date=14 August 2023|access-date=10 August 2025}}</ref>
Wigan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=61450|supp=y|page=N26|date=30 December 2015}}</ref>
Wigan became Britain's ambassador to Israel in June 2019.<ref name="Ahren">{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/britain-names-neil-wigan-as-new-ambassador-to-israel/|title=Britain names Neil Wigan as new ambassador to Israel|last=Ahren|first=Raphael|work= Times of Israel|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-31}}</ref>
In April 2023, he was appointed as the UK High Commissioner to Kenya, replacing Jane Marriott.<ref name="Kenya appointment"/> He took up the position in August 2023.<ref name="Kenya bio"/>
He was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) on 3 November 2023 in connection to Their Majesties' State Visit to Kenya.<ref>{{cite web |title=French state visit honours |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4498252|publisher=London Gazette |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category-inline}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wigan, Neil}} Category:Living people Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Somalia Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Republic of the Congo Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford Category:Alumni of the University of London Category:Johns Hopkins University alumni Category:Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Israel Category:High commissioners of the United Kingdom to Kenya