Tim Hitchens

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Sir Tim Hitchens

| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCVO|CMG}}

| image = Tim Hitchens (by UK in Japan- FCO).jpg

| image_size = 220px

| office1 = President of Wolfson College, Oxford

| term_start1 = 1 May 2018

| term_end1 =

| predecessor1 = Hermione Lee

| office2 = British Ambassador to Japan

| primeminister2 = David Cameron
Theresa May

| monarch2 = Elizabeth II

| term_start2 = 2012

| term_end2 = 2016

| predecessor2 = David Warren

| successor2 = Paul Madden

| office3 = Assistant Private Secretary to the Sovereign

| primeminister3 = Tony Blair

| term_start3 = 1999

| term_end3 = 2002

| predecessor3 = Mary Francis

| successor3 = Sir Christopher Geidt

| monarch3 = Elizabeth II

| birth_name = Timothy Mark Hitchens

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1962}}

| birth_place = London, England

| death_date =

| alma_mater = Dulwich College
University of Cambridge

}}

File:Tim Hitchens 20121221 2.jpg]]

Sir Timothy Mark Hitchens, {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KCVO|CMG}} (born 1962) is a British diplomat and a former Assistant Private Secretary to the Queen Elizabeth II, in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, 1999–2002.

Hitchens was seconded from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to which he returned to become Head of the Africa Department (Equatorial).{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-14202707_ITM|title=British Govt Intervenes in Niger Delta Troubles.|last=Amaize|first=Emma|date=29 October 2004|work=Vanguard|publisher=Asia Africa Intelligence Wire|accessdate=12 March 2010|location=Nigeria|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022025010/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-14202707_ITM|archivedate=22 October 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25681284_ITM|title=The following announcement is issued by the Press Secretary to the Queen.|date=24 July 2002|accessdate=12 March 2010|work=M2 Presswire}} He had been First Secretary Political and Information, British High Commission, Islamabad and speechwriter for Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd.

Early life and career

Hitchens was born in 1962, and educated at Dulwich College from 1972 to 1979.{{cite web|url=https://dulwichorguk.finalsite.com/uploaded/documents/Old_Alleynians/Alleyn_Club_Yearbook_2018.pdf?1518190185771&bblinkid=81154221&bbemailid=6922502&bbejrid=534588067|title=Alleyn Club Yearbook|publisher=Dulwich College|accessdate=23 March 2018}} He then attended Christ's College, University of Cambridge, where he read English literature.{{cite web| title=Chief Executive, Commonwealth Summit Unit: Tim Hitchens –Biography | url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/tim-hitchens | website=GOV.UK | publisher=Government Digital Service | location=UK | accessdate=26 April 2018}} After joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office he studied Japanese, and then became Trade Secretary in Tokyo.

Career

Hitchens was Private Secretary to The Rt Hon Tristan Garel-Jones, Minister of State for Europe at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1990 to 1993, and speechwriter to the Foreign Secretary The Rt Hon Douglas Hurd from 1993 to 1994. He was Head of the Political Section at the British Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, 1994 to 1997.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

From 2005 to 2008 Hitchens was Deputy Ambassador at the British Embassy in Paris.{{Cite web|title=Tim Hitchens|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/tim-hitchens|access-date=2020-07-27|website=GOV.UK|language=en}}

From autumn 2008, Hitchens took up the position Director, European Political Affairs, in London.{{cite news|url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=05&dd=11&nav_id=59070|title=Decision on EU candidacy bid "soon"|last=Danas|date=11 May 2009|publisher=B92|accessdate=12 March 2010|archivedate=6 June 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606115356/http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=05&dd=11&nav_id=59070|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|url=http://www.soitu.es/soitu/2009/10/16/info/1255726636_175827.html|title=El Foro de Diálogo sobre Gibraltar fija un calendario con objetivos prioritarios|last=EFE|date=16 October 2009|work=Soitu|language=es|accessdate=23 March 2018}} In August 2010, he became Director, Africa.

In 2012, Hitchens was appointed HM Ambassador to Japan.{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-her-majestys-ambassador-to-japan|title=Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Japan|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|date=2 March 2012|accessdate=23 March 2018}} He opened a Twitter account under the handle 'UKAmbTim' and, {{as of|2015|05|17|lc=yes|df=US}}, had over 7000 followers.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/UKAmbTim|title=Tim Hitchens (@UKAmbTim) – Twitter}}{{Primary source inline|date=December 2017}} He often tweets in Japanese. Hitchens was succeeded by Paul Madden in January 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-her-majestys-ambassador-to-japan--2|title=Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Japan|publisher=Foreign & Commonwealth Office|date=7 April 2016|accessdate=23 March 2018}}

In March 2017, Hitchens was appointed chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Summit 2018.

In January 2017, Hitchens was elected President of Wolfson College, Oxford.{{cite news|url=http://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/news/president-elect|title=Wolfson College, Oxford|accessdate=23 March 2018}} He assumed this post on 1st May 2018.

Honours

Hitchens was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2012 New Year Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=60009|date=31 December 2011|page=3|supp=y}}