Chris O'Connor (born 1968)
British former diplomat (Ambassador to Tunisia); founding director of the consultancy Talisman International, a Conflict, Stability and Security Fund framework supplier
| Chris O'Connor
| |
|---|---|
| Image |  O'Connor as British Ambassador to Tunisia |
| Born | December 1968 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Diplomat; consultant |
| Known for | British Ambassador to Tunisia (2008–2013); founding director of Talisman International |
Chris O'Connor (Christopher Paul O'Connor OBE, born December 1968) is a British former diplomat and consultant. He was UK Ambassador to Tunisia from 2008 to 2013, serving through the 2011 Tunisian revolution, and British Consul-General in Los Angeles from 2013 to 2017.[1] He is a founding director of Talisman International, an Oxfordshire consultancy that is a supplier on the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) framework.[2]
Diplomatic career
According to his official biography, O'Connor worked in British embassies in Cairo, Riyadh and Beirut, at the British High Commission in Ottawa and at the UK Delegation to NATO, and was head of the UK Foreign Office Middle East Peace Process team in London from 2003 to 2005. He speaks Arabic, French and Spanish.[1] In October 2012 the Foreign & Commonwealth Office announced that Hamish Cowell would succeed "Mr Christopher Paul O'Connor" as Ambassador to Tunisia in July 2013.[3] He uses the post-nominal OBE.[2]
Talisman International
O'Connor is a founding director and equal owner of Talisman International (Talisman International Limited, company number 13811024), a management-consultancy registered in Oxfordshire and a supplier on Lots 1 and 3 of the 2023–27 CSSF framework. Companies House records him as a director and person with significant control from 21 December 2021, giving his date of birth as December 1968 and his place of residence as Canada.[4] He co-founded the company with the former military officer Chris Fisher; the pairing of a former ambassador and a former officer with a firm delivering FCDO-funded programmes is an example of the revolving door between the Foreign Office and its contractors.[2][4]
See also
- Talisman International
- Chris Fisher (born 1975)
- Conflict, Stability and Security Fund
- Revolving door
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Chris O'Connor GOV.UK, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Talisman, Navigating Complexity Talisman International (company website; Talisman-side), accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Tunisia GOV.UK, 25 October 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Companies House, TALISMAN INTERNATIONAL LIMITED (13811024) Companies House, accessed 21 October 2026.