Gareth Wynn Owen has taken over as the British Deputy High Commissioner to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, responsible for all aspects of the UK’s work in the two Telugu States.
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He succeeds Andrew Fleming who served from July 2017 to July 2022. Gareth arrived in Hyderabad this week and will begin meeting with stakeholders in the coming days, a statement said. The Deputy High Commissioner fulfils a similar role to a Consul General, representing the UK government and is typically responsible for consular, visa and trade activities in their city or region.
Mr. Gareth’s prior overseas postings include working in Russia, Armenia, Iran and Azerbaijan for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He has expertise in a number of areas, including building science and innovation partnerships, strengthening commercial collaborations, working to tackle climate change and supporting economic development to reduce poverty.
He has worked on Indo-Pacific issues since 2018. He led the work which secured the UK’s ASEAN Dialogue Status in 2021 and was part of the cross-government team that developed the Indo-Pacific tilt framework published in March 2021 in the UK Government’s Integrated Review. He studied economics and development at University College London and the School of Oriental and African Studies.
British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis said that Mr. Gareth’s strong experience building science and innovation partnerships will fit well in the Telugu region, which is home to an exciting tech industry.