British Deputy High Commissioner Kolkata

Andrew Fleming

Biography

Andrew Fleming is the British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata.

Prior to arriving in Kolkata, Andrew Fleming served as British Deputy High Commissioner to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 5 years and then as Officer on Special Temporary Duty in Bengaluru before spending a few months in London where he supported the visit of Indian Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar for the King’s Coronation.

His work included promoting business and trade between the UK and the states he worked in, connecting with academic institutions interested in research and partnerships and people to identify and amplify ‘living bridge’ links and to understand local issues. Andrew participated in Swachch Bharat initiatives to clean up Hyderabad, and encouraged others to join. As the head of the Deputy High Commission he has supported projects on community cohesion and interfaith, countering violence against women, human trafficking, child sexual abuse, fake news and youth empowerment. He is also deeply interested in heritage to the extent he was occasionally invited to lead walks in Hyderabad. He actively posts on his love of India from his @andrew007UK handle on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Koo.

Andrew originally joined the British Civil Service in 1986 and has held a wide variety of roles in the UK and abroad. He has lived in Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria, but has worked on international policy issues in many parts of the world including South Asia visiting 117 nations to date. Aside from many years working on international migration issues, he has also advised ministers on community cohesion and faith-related policy. He observed elections in Ghana (2008) and Nigeria (2015).

British Deputy High Commissioner Kolkata

In some countries, the Deputy High Commissioner leads a subordinate office to the High Commission in another major city. The Deputy High Commissioner fulfils a similar role to a Consul General, representing the UK government and typically responsible for consular, visa and trade activities in their city or region.

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office