Hugh Elliott (diplomat)


Hugh Elliott is a British diplomat, currently serving as the UK's Ambassador to Spain and non-resident Ambassador to Andorra since 2019. Previous to this, he was Director for Communications at the Department for Exiting the European Union.

Early life

Elliott studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Consular career

Elliott joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1989 as an Assistant Desk Officer for the East Africa Department. In 1991, Elliott was posted to Madrid for five years. From 1996 to 1999 held various positions in the FCO including as the Head of the Amsterdam Treaty Unit. He was then posted to Buenos Aires for three years as Head of Economic, Political and Public Affairs. In 2002, he was in Paris as a global issue counsellor.
From 2006 to 2013, Elliott was the Head of Government Relations at Anglo American, a mining company. In 2013, he returned to the FCO as the Director of Communication, a post which he kept until 2017 when he was made the Director for Europe. In 2017, Elliot was the Director of International Agreements at the FCO and in 2018 moved to the Department for Exiting the European Union to be Director of Communication and Stakeholders.
Elliott took up the post of Ambassador to Spain and non-resident Ambassador to Andorra in August 2019. He presented his letter of credentials to King Felipe VI on 5 September 2019
Elliott has also served as a trustee of the British Spanish Society and the chairman of Canning House, an Anglo-Hispanic centre.

Personal life

Elliott is married to María Antonia Elliott and has two children. Both were born in Madrid.