HMA Jonathan Brenton

Welcome to the British Embassy in Belgium website.   I hope that you find the information you need here.    If you don't, don't hesitate to contact us.

Some personal information about me.   I was born in Uganda in 1965, where my father was working as a doctor.  After education in the UK (and two years studying in the US) I joined the Foreign Office in 1994.    

I've worked in London, Brussels, Berlin and Moscow.  I did commercial and economic work at the British Embassy in Moscow from 1996 to 2000; worked as press attache at the British Embassy in Berlin from 2003 to 2006 (including during the  World  Cup); and ran the management platform for the three British posts in Brussels between 2008 and 2010.    One of my tasks in my last job was to plan the collocation of the British Embassy to Belgium with the UK Permanent Representation to the EU.  This has helped us to cut costs and work smarter by building links with colleagues specialised in the EU.

While in London I spent two years working on Africa  from 2006-2008 and another three covering EU issues, including  EU  enlargement to the Balkans  between 2000 and 2002 .  

It's been a varied career.    In my time as a diplomat I have gone down Siberian coal mines with British mining companies, chaired press conferences about the World Cup in Southern Germany, and worked to bring war criminals to justice in the former Yugoslavia.  As duty officer in Moscow and Berlin I've have had to deal with anything from British citizens losing their passports to the aftermath of a coach crash.

This is my first Ambassadorial post.  It's great fun  - and also a challenge.   It's a privilege to get to know a country and its people. Working as Ambassador is a chance to build on Britain's close co-operation with Belgium.  Our priorities include building a more effective EU; promoting trade and investment (Belgium is the UK's 5th largest market); and working together to fight  common  threats such as drugs and tobacco smuggling.      

Through its Consular services, the Embassy also plays a hugely important role in giving practical help to British citizens abroad.  4 million  British citizens visited Belgium in 2009 and there are approximately 50,000 UK residents here.

We have about 35 colleagues working at the Embassy, including colleagues from Belgium, Britain, France, Ireland and the Netherlands. The vast majority of our staff are locally employed rather than sent from the UK. This Embassy works as a network with our other two posts in the Benelux, Luxembourg and the Hague in an effort to get the maximum impact and tackle regional issues regionally.

When not working, I'm spending time with my family.  My wife, Sayana, is Russian.   We have a big daughter, Sasha, now studying at university in Edinburgh, and a small son, Jakob, who goes to school in Brussels.    Building lego with my boy is probably my favourite recreation.    He is rather better at it than I am...