Mark Lyall Grant Explained

Sir Mark Lyall Grant
Honorific-Suffix:GCMG
Office:United Kingdom National Security Adviser
Primeminister:David Cameron
Theresa May
Term Start:7 September 2015
Term End:13 April 2017
Successor:Mark Sedwill
Predecessor:Kim Darroch
Office2:Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations
Monarch3:Elizabeth II
Primeminister3:Gordon Brown
David Cameron
Term Start3:1 November 2009
Term End3:May 2015
Predecessor3:John Sawers
Successor3:Matthew Rycroft
Office4:Director-General for Political Affairs at the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Term Start5:2007
Term End5:2009
Predecessor5:John Sawers
Successor5:Geoffrey Adams
Birth Date:29 May 1956
Birth Place:Hammersmith, London, England
Education:Eton College
Alma Mater:University of Cambridge
Spouse:Sheila, Lady Lyall Grant
Children:2

Sir Mark Justin Lyall Grant (born 29 May 1956) is a former senior British diplomat who was previously the United Kingdom's National Security Adviser and Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations.

Education and early life

Born in Hammersmith to Mary (née Moore) and Maj Gen Ian Lyall Grant MC,[1] Lyall Grant was educated at Eton College and read law at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the bar at Middle Temple, London before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1980.

Career

Lyall Grant was British Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) from 2009 to 2015.[2] [3] He held the office of President of the United Nations Security Council four times: in November 2010, March 2012, June 2013, and August 2014.

Lyall Grant was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2003 New Year Honours before being promoted to Knight Commander (KCMG) in the 2006 Birthday Honours and a Knight Grand Cross in the 2018 New Year Honours.

On 7 July 2015, Number 10 Downing St announced that Lyall Grant would replace Sir Kim Darroch as the United Kingdom's National Security Advisor on 7 September 2015, with Darroch moving to a different diplomatic post.[4] As of September 2015, Lyall Grant was paid a salary of between £160,000 and £164,999, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[5] On 27 February 2017 it was announced that Lyall Grant would retire in April and be replaced by the Home Office Permanent Secretary Mark Sedwill.[6] Since 2017, he has served on the governing board at Eton College.[7]

He was appointed King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2022.[8]

Foreign and Commonwealth Office career timeline

Personal life

His wife, Sheila, is also a diplomat. In April 2012, Lady Lyall Grant, with Huberta von Voss Wittig, made a video appeal to Asma al-Assad, calling on the Syrian first lady to take a stand against violence in her country.[9] The Lyall Grants have a son and a daughter. Lyall Grant's spare time activities include golf, tennis, and bridge.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Index entry. 2 January 2018. FreeBMD. ONS.
  2. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130217073211/http://ukun.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/whos-who/permanent-representative/ ukun.fco.gov.uk: "Permanent Representative – Sir Mark Lyall Grant"
  3. http://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-uk-permanent-representative-to-the-united-nations-in-new-york Change of UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York
  4. Web site: National Security Adviser appointment: Sir Mark Lyall-Grant – Press releases – GOV.UK. www.gov.uk. 8 July 2015.
  5. Web site: Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 – GOV.UK. 17 December 2015. www.gov.uk. 28 February 2016. 4 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190504113001/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492289/150K_senior_salaries.csv/preview. dead.
  6. Web site: Cabinet office: new senior appointments and changes – GOV.UK. gov.uk. en. 5 March 2017.
  7. Web site: Our Governing Body. etoncollege.com.
  8. Web site: CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD | Honours and Awards | the Gazette.
  9. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17753841 Lyall Grant appeals to Syria's First Lady