Staff Correspondent

Britain has named James Goldman as its new deputy high commissioner to Bangladesh.

He replaces Matthew Cannell, who returned to London after his tenure in Dhaka.

Goldman will also take on responsibilities as the development director for Bangladesh, the British High Commission said in a statement on Tuesday.

Before his appointment in Dhaka, Goldman served as the Consul General in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region in Iraq.

Since 2019, he held the position of deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Muscat, Oman, and from 2022 to 2023, he served as the Chargé d'Affaires at the same mission.

Goldman, who holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, has been with the British government since 2015, working in various roles related to development and foreign policy.

He served as deputy head of a department responsible for managing the Global Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund, which oversees over £1 billion in funding aimed at conflict resolution, stability, democracy promotion, good governance, and prosperity.

Before 2015, Goldman worked on a range of security and defence issues, including counterterrorism efforts in South Asia and Africa, combating piracy in the Horn of Africa, and preventing the proliferation of chemical, biological, radioactive, and nuclear weapons.

Upon taking up his new role, Goldman expressed his enthusiasm, saying: "I am delighted to have joined the British High Commission Dhaka and look forward to working with the interim government as it works to restore peace and order, ensure accountability and chart a peaceful pathway to an inclusive, prosperous and democratic future for the people of Bangladesh."