Paul Arkwright

Arkwright was born in Bolton, and grew up in Lancashire. He is the son of Thomas Arkwright and Muriel Hague. He grew up in Bolton.

He attended the independent school Ampleforth College. He gained a BA in English in 1983 from Trinity College, Cambridge.

Arkwright joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1987. He was based in West Berlin (British Military Government near the Olympiastadion) from 1988–1991,[http://ukingermany.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/our-embassy/historypost British Military Government] seeing the overthrow of the Berlin Wall at first hand. From 1993–1997 he was a First Secretary to the UK Mission to the UN. From 1997–1998 he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France; this led to him being a First Secretary from 1998–2001 at Paris. From 2001–2005 he was part of the UK Delegation to NATO in Brussels.[http://uknato.fco.gov.uk/en/ UK Delegation to NATO]

From 2006–2009 he achieved a senior post in the FCO, becoming Head of the Counter-Proliferation Department (CPD).[http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/global-issues/counter-proliferation/ Counter-proliferation][http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/spend-our-budget/funding-programmes1/strat-progr-fund/counter-proliferation Counter-proliferation programme]

Arkwright was British Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands 2009–2013. He was Director, Multilateral Policy at the FCO 2013–2015, and was then appointed High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, taking up his post at Abuja in October 2015.[https://www.gov.uk/government/people/paul-thomas-arkwright Paul Thomas Arkwright], gov.uk He was replaced in November 2018 to transfer to another Diplomatic Service appointment.{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-her-majestys-high-commissioner-to-the-federal-republic-of-nigeria |title=Change of Her Majesty's High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria |date=13 June 2018 |publisher=Foreign & Commonwealth Office}}

He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to foreign policy.{{London Gazette|issue=61608|supp=y|page=B3|date=11 June 2016}}

Arkwright married Patricia Holland in 1997 in Paris, and they have a son and daughter. He follows Bolton Wanderers F.C.

{{reflist}}

• [http://ukinnl.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/our-embassy-in-hague/ UK in the Netherlands]
• [http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/paularkwright/ His blog]
• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/ukinnl/ UKinNL at Flickr]
• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/56019861@N03/ UKTI Netherlands at Flickr]

• [https://www.youtube.com/user/UKinNL UKinNL YouTube channel]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjQuTRqyhq8 2011 interview]

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{{s-bef |before=Lyn Parker}}

{{s-ttl |title =British Ambassador to the Netherlands |years=2009–2013}}

{{s-aft |after =Geoffrey Adams}}

{{s-bef |before=Sir Andrew Pocock}}

{{s-ttl |title =British High Commissioner to Nigeria |years=2015–2018}}

{{s-aft |after =Catriona Laing}}

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Category:1962 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Bolton

Category:People educated at Ampleforth College

Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge

Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Netherlands

Category:Permanent representatives of the United Kingdom to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

Category:High commissioners of the United Kingdom to Nigeria

Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George