Toff Wahab
Biography
Toff Wahab (Mohammed Toafiq) took up his appointment as the British Deputy High Commissioner to Maldives (based in Malé) in July 2024.
Born in 1975 and raised in Blackburn, Lancashire, Toff embarked on his professional journey in 1992 with roles at Blackburn Borough Council, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and Halifax Bank before joining the Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) in 1997.
Most recently, Toff was based in Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from August 2020 to October 2023, where he served as Head of the British Trade Office and Director of Business & Trade (DBT) for the Eastern Province. In this role, he was responsible for delivering DBT objectives across various sectors, including Education and Training, Energy/Renewables, Mining, and Nuclear. Prior to this, he held the position of Head of the Political Section (1st Secretary) at the British Embassy in Doha, Qatar, from 2017 to 2020. There, he led the Political, Communication, and Economic Section, addressing high-level issues such as the UK/Qatar Security Partnership, counter-terrorism, and preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. From 2015 to 2017, Toff served as the British Deputy High Commissioner to Cameroon, based in Yaoundé, with responsibilities extending to Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. During this tenure, he spent a significant amount of time as Acting High Commissioner.
A career diplomat, Toff has dedicated his efforts to advancing the full range of UK Government objectives. His overseas postings have seen him lead on political affairs, crisis management, and portfolios covering aviation security, counter-terrorism, migration, sports, security, consular, and visa management. Additionally, he has significant commercial experience and success, working with senior stakeholders to bolster UK businesses in international markets and engage with senior inward investors.
Toff is married with three sons. His personal interests include boxing, football, snooker, reading, travelling, and music. A passionate supporter of Liverpool Football Club, he has actively supported Young Enterprise as a Board Member and has previously served as a Business Adviser to schools. For the past seven years, he has mentored UK university students in their penultimate year, offering career advice and support. Toff is multilingual and can converse in French, Gujarati, Hindi, Kutchi, Memon, and Urdu, with a basic understanding of Arabic, Bangla, and Yoruba.
Previous roles in government
- Head of the British Trade Office in Al Khobar & Director of Business & Trade for the Eastern Province – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2020-2023)
- Head of Political, Press and Public Affairs and Economic Section (1st Secretary), British Embassy Doha - State of Qatar (2017-2020)
- British Deputy High Commissioner, Yaoundé - Republic of Cameroon (2015-2017)
- Private Secretary to the UK Trade and Investment Chief Executive, London (2011-2014)
British Deputy High Commissioner to Maldives
The Deputy High Commissioner is a senior diplomat and typically a key advisor to the High Commissioner. The Deputy is responsible for the daily management of an overseas High Commission. They will represent the UK’s interests in the absence of the High Commissioner as Chargé d’Affaires. A senior ranking Deputy may also take the title Minister.