Maurice Gourdault-Montagne CMG, CVO (born on 16 November 1953) is a career diplomat and former French Ambassador to China, Japan, the United Kingdom and Germany.

Career

Gourdault-Montagne joined the French Foreign Ministry in 1978. He served as first secretary at the French embassy in New Delhi (1981–83), counsellor in Bonn (1988–91), then as spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry (1991–93) and deputy private secretary to the minister of foreign affairs (1993–95).

Maurice Gourdault-Montagne

He became private secretary and head of Prime Minister Alain Juppé's office (1995–97).

Maurice Gourdault-Montagne

He then served as the ambassador to Japan (1998–2002) and became senior diplomatic advisor and G8 sherpa to the French President Jacques Chirac (2002–07).

Maurice Gourdault-Montagne

Gourdault-Montagne was appointed as French ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2007 and became ambassador to Germany on 14 March 2011.

On 20 August 2014, he was appointed ambassador to China, from which post he retired in 2017.

His memoirs, entitled "Les autres ne pensent pas comme nous" were published in 2022 by the Bouquins firm.

References

1953 births

Living people

Commanders of the Legion of Honour

Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George

Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order

Ambassadors of France to China

Ambassadors of France to Germany

Ambassadors of France to the United Kingdom

Ambassadors of France to Japan

Sciences Po alumni

Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University alumni

Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

20th-century French diplomats

21st-century French diplomats