High Commissioner, Dr. Peter Hayes

Dr. Peter Hayes took up his appointment as British High Commissioner to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on 17 March 2008.

Dr Hayes was from 2005 – 2007 Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in London. He served under Jack Straw, Margaret Beckett and David Miliband during a period that was dominated by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the start of the negotiations with Turkey on its accession into the EU, and the Litvinenko affair and concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme.

From 2001 – 2003 he served as Counsellor in the British Embassy Washington DC, covering energy, environment and science, with climate change the major issue. From 2004 – 2005 he served as H. M. Consul General in Washington DC. Previously he had served in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, in the Cabinet Office and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dr Hayes studied Physics at the University of Surrey and took a PhD in nuclear physics at Kings College London. His wife Kirsty Hayes is also a member of the Diplomatic Service, and they have two young children.