Permanent Secretary

Biography

Simon Fraser has been Permanent Secretary of the Department since May 2009. Prior to this he was Director General for Europe and Globalisation in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and was a member of the FCO Board. He was the FCO’s senior official on international economic issues.

From 2004 to February 2008, Simon Fraser was Chief of Staff to European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. He was closely involved in negotiation of the Doha Round and in formulating the Commission’s external competitiveness policies and Global Europe agenda.

At the FCO Simon has previously served as Director for the Middle East and North Africa, as Director for Strategy and Innovation, including policy planning, and as Political Counsellor in the British Embassy in Paris.