John Coles Author

Sir John Coles, who is non-executive chairman of Sight Savers International, has had a distinguished diplomatic career. He was Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service for three years from 1994, after being Private Secretary to the Prime Minister from 1981 to 1984, Ambassador to Jordan from 1984 to 1988 and High Commissioner to Australia from 1988 to 1991. He was also Deputy Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office for Asia and the Americas between 1991 and 1994. Earlier, he had been Head of Chancery in Cairo, 1975-7, Counsellor at the UK Permanent Mission to the EEC, 1977-80, and Head of the South Asian Department at the Foreign Office, 1980-1.