Dominic Asquith

Sir Dominic Anthony Gerard Asquith, born on 7 February 1957, is a British diplomat who has served as ambassador and high commissioner in multiple countries. He is the son of The 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith and Anne (née Palairet). His great-grandfather was H. H. Asquith, a former British Prime Minister. His family has a history of diplomatic service; his elder brother Raymond, his father Lord Oxford, and his maternal grandfather Sir Michael Palairet all held diplomatic positions.

Asquith was educated at Ampleforth College, following a tradition shared with his father and brother. In 1975, he participated in the Musa Alami project in the West Bank, Palestine, and subsequently worked as a researcher at the Institute of Palestine Studies in Beirut. In 1981, he worked as a freelance journalist in Amman, Jordan, and later served as the Executive Secretary to the Parliamentary Association for Euro-Arab Co-operation in London, a position he held until 1983.

He joined the Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service (HM Diplomatic Service) in 1983, initially working within the Soviet department. His diplomatic postings include assignments at Damascus (Syria), Muscat (Oman), Washington, D.C., Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). In 2004, he was appointed Deputy Head of Mission in Iraq, served as Director of the Iraq Directorate at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 2004 to 2006, and was Ambassador to Iraq from 2006 to 2007.

Following his service in Iraq, Asquith was appointed Ambassador to Egypt from 2007 until 2011 and subsequently served as Ambassador to Libya from 2011 to 2012. During his tenure in Libya, he experienced a rocket-propelled grenade attack on a British convoy in June 2012. In September 2012, he took a medical leave from Libya, and in January 2013, he was succeeded by Michael Aron.

His diplomatic achievements have been recognized with awards; he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2004 and was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2012 New Year Honours.

In 2013, after a brief period in the private sector, Asquith returned to diplomatic service as the British High Commissioner to India, a role he held from April 2016 until January 2020. Outside official diplomatic duties, he led a trade delegation to Libya in May 2013 organized by the Libyan British Business Council and later became a senior consultant for Tatweer Research, a Libyan research and development company, in June 2013.

His career timeline includes:

- 1983–1984: Diplomat in the Soviet Department

- 1984–1985: Diplomat in the Southern Europe Department

- 1986–1987: Second Secretary in Damascus, Syria

- 1987–1989: First Secretary at the Chancery in Muscat, Oman

- 1989–1990: Diplomat in the European Community Department

- 1990–1992: Private Secretary to the Minister of State at the FCO

- 1992–1996: First Secretary in Washington, D.C.

- 1996: Department for Drugs and International Crime at the FCO

- 1997–2001: Minister and Deputy Head of Mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina

- 2001–2004: Deputy Head of Mission and Consul-General in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

- 2004: Deputy Special Representative for Iraq and Deputy Head of Mission in Baghdad

- 2004–2006: Director for Iraq at the FCO

- 2006–2007: HM Ambassador to Iraq

- 2007–2011: HM Ambassador to Egypt

- 2011–2012: UK Special Representative and then Ambassador to Libya

- 2013–2015: Senior Advisor at Dentons LLP

- 2016–2020: British High Commissioner to India

In his personal life, Asquith married Louise Cotton in 1988, who previously worked as a secretary at the British Foreign Office and resigned upon marriage. The couple has four children: Gabriela Elizabeth Louise (born 1989), Helena Lucy Anne (born 1990), Thomas Anthony Gerard (born 1992), and William Raphael Augustine (born 1994).