John Goulden
Sir (Peter) John Goulden, GCMG (born 21 February 1941) was the United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council and to the Western European Union from April 1995 until 2001. He is a current member of the Security Commission.
Early years
Goulden was educated at King Edward VII School in Sheffield, and at The Queen's College, Oxford.
He read History taking the University History Prize in 1961 and graduating with first class honours in 1962. Joining the Diplomatic Service, he studied Turkish at London University and served in Ankara from 1963-7. He spent three years as a Second Secretary on the Hungary/Romania/Czechoslovakia desk in the Foreign Office from 1967-9, before spending 18 months in Manila.
Career
From 1971-4 he was in the Planning Staff in the Foreign Office. From 1974-6 he ran the Foreign Office's recruitment programme, taking off a month in 1974 to join the Geneva negotiations on Cyprus.
He was Head of Chancery in Dublin from 1976-9, returning to be Assistant Head of Defence Department responsible for NATO affairs from 1979-81. From there he was promoted to become Head of Personnel Services Department and later Head of News Department and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Spokesman from 1982-4.
Between 1984-7 he served as Head of Chancery at the UK Representation to the European Communities in Brussels, returning to London as Assistant-Under-Secretary of State (Defence) at the FCO from 1988-92.
From 1992-5 he was Ambassador in Ankara.
He took up post as the United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council and to the Western European Union on 3 April 1995.
Personal
Lady (Diana) Goulden studied theatre at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. They have a son (born 1967) and a daughter (born 1970)