The United Kingdom has appointed Mr. Mark Smithson as the new Country Director for the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) in Nigeria. He succeeds Chim Chalemera, who recently completed a three-year tenure in the role.
Smithson, a seasoned civil servant with extensive experience in both the UK and abroad, will spearhead UK-Nigeria trade and investment relations. His objectives include boosting high-value inward investment, enhancing exports between the UK and Nigeria, and supporting market access and trade policy priorities.
Upon his arrival in Nigeria, Smithson remarked, “Nigeria is a country of huge importance to the UK and the world. Our historical, cultural, people-to-people, and business ties are deep and ever-growing. I am delighted to take up this new role as the DBT’s Country Director and look forward to forging partnerships with the Nigerian government, the private sector, and the UK supply chain. Together, we can seize the opportunities this great country and our unique partnership offer to deliver a more prosperous future for both our countries.”
Before his assignment in Nigeria, Smithson was based in London from 2021 to 2024, where he led the DBT’s Capital Investment agenda, initially focusing on European and US large corporates. Since September 2022, he has served as His Majesty’s Government’s global account manager for large institutional investors from Southeast Asia, with a focus on Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Smithson’s extensive career includes leading the Consular Section at the British Consulate General in Barcelona, Spain, from 2007 to 2013, where he handled numerous high-profile consular cases and sporting events. In 2013, he moved to the US, where he headed Consular services for Florida, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico from the British Consulate General in Miami. During his tenure, he managed extensive outreach programs with US government agencies and led rapid deployment teams during crises.
In 2017, Smithson transferred to Atlanta to lead the UK’s Tech & Creative Trade and Investment agenda for the southeast USA. He then moved to Bangkok in 2018, where he led efforts to increase exports and investment and laid the groundwork for the UK-Thailand Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), serving until 2021.
Smithson is married to Patima, who is Thai, and they have a three-year-old child.
