Atlanta’s new British consul general started on the job June 5, fresh off four years as deputy head of mission and economic counselor at the British embassy in Athens, Greece.
Andrew Staunton, born in Glasgow, Scotland, has a wealth of experience in economic affairs, especially in recent years in Europe. He helped shepherd the British response to economic crises in both Greece and his earlier posting to Ireland, where he also served as second in command for four years starting in 2009. That was the year the bursting of a property bubble sent Ireland into a deep recession from which it has now recovered — and then some.
Those roles included a heavy emphasis on issues linked to the European Union; the U.K. is now in the mist of a tenuous two-year process of unwinding itself from the bloc as set in motion by the Brexit vote in 2016. The British parliament approved an EU Withdrawal Bill last week, an achievement Prime Minister Theresa May touted while speaking to CEOs in London June 26 about the country’s economic future.
Mr. Staunton replaces in Atlanta Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford, who is now serving as deputy high commissioner (similar to a consul general) in Chennai, India.
Mr. Pilmore-Bedford left behind a greatly expanded U.K. presence in the trade and investment arena, bolstering the Department for International Trade office within the consulate while appointing a “prosperity officer” to further British interests in North Carolina.
Mr. Staunton will pick up the economic baton while continuing to serve British expatriates living in his six-state region. He also sits on the Marshall Scholarship selection committee.
Mr. Staunton joined the UK’s diplomatic service in 1987. He has also served overseas in China, France, Romania and Canada. His wife, Rebecca, will join him in Atlanta. They have two adult children living the U.K.
Read Mr. Staunton’s bio here.
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