Martin Harris CMG OBE

(History, m.1988)

A diplomat, currently Ambassador to Ukraine, who has lived and worked in Eastern Europe, Russia and Asia, and has served as adviser to the Cabinet Office.

Martin Harris

Martin Harris was born in Edinburgh. After reading History at Corpus, he joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1991. He was Second Secretary at the UK Delegation to the OSCE in Vienna from 1992 to 1996. After leading the FCO’s Pakistan and Afghanistan Section in 1997 to 1998, he went to the British Embassy in Moscow to run the UK’s programme of technical assistance in the Russian Federation from 1999 until 2003.

Martin then moved to the British Embassy in Kyiv, where he was Consul General and Deputy Head of Mission. He returned to London in 2008 working as an adviser in the Cabinet Office on Afghanistan, Pakistan, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In 2010 Martin was appointed as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Romania, a post he held until April 2014.

Martin was Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) from November 2017 to July 2022. He was previously the Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Moscow from April 2014 to December 2017.

In September 2023, Martin was appointed His Majesty's Ambassador to Ukraine. On his appointment, Martin said: “I am delighted to be returning to Ukraine to lead our Embassy’s vital work in supporting the Ukrainian government and people as they defend their country and our common values. The UK’s relationship with Ukraine has never been stronger, and we will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

In a blog post written in summer 2024, Martin described his long association with Crimea and expressed the view of the UK government, saying “Crimea is Ukraine. Our commitment to upholding the basic international principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity is why the UK has remained steadfast in its support to Ukraine and to Crimea for the past ten years.”

Martin was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2010 and a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2023.

While at Corpus, Martin was President of the Cambridge Union in Michaelmas Term of 1990, and hosted President Ronald Reagan for a visit on the 175th anniversary of the Union.

Martin has deep ties to Corpus. His father, Revd Fergus Harris, was also at Corpus (m. 1956). Martin is married to Corpuscle Linda MacLachlan (m.1987), who read Economics and English, and then followed up with an MPhil in Linguistics. They met as students in Corpus, where they both sang in the Chapel Choir and married in the College Chapel. They have three children.