Civil Service Live
Profile: Peter Ricketts
Date of birth - 30 September 1952
Educated - Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, Sutton Coldfield
Further education - Pembroke College, Oxford (MA)
Marital details - Married Suzanne Julia Horlington 1980
Children - 1 daughter, 1 son
Non-political career:
HM Diplomatic Service 1974-:
UK Mission to United Nations, New York 1974;
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London (FCO) 1975-76;
Third Secretary, Singapore high commission 1976-78;
UK Delegation to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) 1978-81;
FCO 1981-85:
Second Secretary, Near East and North African Department 1981-83,
Assistant Private Secretary to Geoffrey Howe as Foreign Secretary 1983-85;
First Secretary, Washington DC embassy 1986-89;
FCO 1989-94:
Deputy Head, Security Policy Department 1989-91,
Head, Hong Kong Department 1991-94;
Counsellor, Finance and Economic, Paris embassy 1994-97;
FCO 1997-2003:
Deputy Political Director 1997-99,
Director, International Security 1999-2000,
Chair, Joint Intelligence Committee, Cabinet Office (seconded to) 2000-01,
Director-General, Political 2001-03;
UK Permanent Representative on North Atlantic Council 2003-06;
Permanent Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service, FCO 2006-
Honours and decorations - CMG 1999; KCMG 2003
Recreations - Victorian art and literature