Melville Guest
Encyclopedia
Melville Richard John Guest, OBE (born 18 November 1943) is a former British diplomat
and first-class cricket
er.
He was born in what was then Salisbury
, Southern Rhodesia
two weeks after the death of his father, a RAF pilot who was killed in action over the English Channel. He attended Oxford University, where he played cricket for the 1st XI from 1964–1966 and earned a blue. He was elected President of Vincent's Club
in 1966.
He entered the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(FCO) in 1966, with a first posting to Tokyo
in 1967. After a tour of duty in Paris
, he temporarily left the FCO and was managing director of Lucas France from 1980 to 1985. He was then a director of the Channel Tunnel Group before returning to the FCO in Tokyo in 1986 as commercial counsellor. His last overseas posting was as political counsellor and consul general in Stockholm
. He returned to the UK
as head of the south pacific department and then head of south east Asia. He left the FCO to become chief executive of Asia House
, during which time he also took the role of executive director of the UK-Korea Forum for the Future and of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group. He was also the secretary of the UK-India Round Table.
He is currently a senior advisor for corporate and external affairs to Imperial College, London.
He was appointed OBE in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours
for services to Britain's relations with Asia.
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
er.
He was born in what was then Salisbury
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
two weeks after the death of his father, a RAF pilot who was killed in action over the English Channel. He attended Oxford University, where he played cricket for the 1st XI from 1964–1966 and earned a blue. He was elected President of Vincent's Club
Vincent's Club
Vincent's Club is a sports club predominantly but not exclusively for Oxford Blues at Oxford University.The club was founded in 1863 by the oarsman Walter Bradford Woodgate of Brasenose College, Oxford, and he was the first president of the club...
in 1966.
He entered the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
(FCO) in 1966, with a first posting to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in 1967. After a tour of duty in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he temporarily left the FCO and was managing director of Lucas France from 1980 to 1985. He was then a director of the Channel Tunnel Group before returning to the FCO in Tokyo in 1986 as commercial counsellor. His last overseas posting was as political counsellor and consul general in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. He returned to the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as head of the south pacific department and then head of south east Asia. He left the FCO to become chief executive of Asia House
Asia House
Asia House, is a non-profit, non-political Pan-Asian organisation in the UK. It was founded in 1996 by a small group led by Sir Peter Wakefield, a former diplomat who died aged 89 in December 2010...
, during which time he also took the role of executive director of the UK-Korea Forum for the Future and of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group. He was also the secretary of the UK-India Round Table.
He is currently a senior advisor for corporate and external affairs to Imperial College, London.
He was appointed OBE in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
for services to Britain's relations with Asia.
External links
- CricketArchive
- Melville Guest at ESPNcricinfo
- Debretts