Simon Collis is Senior Counsel, Middle East and GCC. He advises our clients on their strategic engagement in the Gulf and MENA region.
Simon was a senior British diplomat with extensive experience across the MENA region. Throughout his career he was actively involved in promoting trade & investment, using his expertise to identify risks and opportunities and to develop and deliver engagement strategies across financial services, tech, healthcare & life sciences, education, infrastructure, defence and energy sectors.
As British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2015-2020 he engaged in the outset of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic and social reform programme. He played the lead role in establishing the UK-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council to deliver structured public and private sector engagement between the two Kingdoms, building relationships with the senior leadership, Ministers, heads of public entities and major business families.
From 2014 back to 2000 Simon led five diplomatic missions as British Ambassador to Iraq, to Syria and to Qatar as well as Consul-General in Basra and Dubai.
In Qatar and Dubai he led the UK Government’s support to bilateral trade and investment development including financial sector engagement during the establishment of QFC and DIFC.
Simon’s previous regional experience includes diplomatic postings to Jordan, Tunisia and Bahrain as well as a secondment to an international energy major where he advised the leadership team on political risk management and relationship building for new business development projects. Outside the region he has worked in India and at the UN in New York.
Simon is a Trustee of Turquoise Mountain, a charity devoted to cultural heritage work. He is a member of the Advisory Board to the Cambridge Partnership for Education at the University of Cambridge.
