James Lyall Sharp

James Lyall Sharp, 2019

James Lyall Sharp (born 12 April 1960) is a British diplomat who served as ambassador to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan 2002–2005. Since July 2019, he has been the ambassador of the United Kingdom to Azerbaijan.^[1]

Early life

Sharp is a son of Sir Richard Lyall Sharp (1915–2002), a civil servant. He was educated at Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet, and Durham University (St Cuthbert's Society) where he graduated in 1982 with a 2:1 Bachelor of Arts in modern Middle Eastern studies.

1983–1986: Customer Relations, British Aerospace, Riyadh
1987: Entered Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO)
1987–1988: South America Department
1989–1992: Cairo (Second Secretary, Chancery/Information)
1992–1995: head of section, Eastern Department
1995–1996: head of section, Hong Kong Department
1996–1998: Vienna OSCE (first secretary)
1998–2000: head of section, North East Asia & Pacific Department
2000–2001: deputy head, Security Policy Department
2002–2005: ambassador to Kazakhstan, and concurrently non-resident ambassador to Kyrgyzstan
2006–2008: head, Western Mediterranean/JHA/Germany Group, FCO
2008–2012: Asia Pacific regional director, UK Border Agency, Hong Kong
2012–2013: Arms Export Policy Department, FCO
2013–present: director, Migration, FCO

SHARP, James Lyall, Who's Who 2017, A & C Black, 2017 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2016)
"FCO Daily Bulletin, Wednesday 10 July 2002". FCO. 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2007.