The British Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Knowles as the new Country Director for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and Cluster Lead for the Gulf region.  

 

Matthew will lead the British Council team in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, working across Arts and Culture, Education and English, building mutually beneficial and long-term relationships between these Kingdoms and the UK. 

 

He will also lead the British Council operation in six countries across the Gulf cluster: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

 

Matthew began his career as a Policy Officer in the Scottish Government's Education Department, before joining the British Council in Edinburgh as Manager of Scottish Networks International. 

 

Since then, over 20 years, he has worked with the British Council in Bangladesh, China, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as in the UK.

 

On his appointment to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Matthew said: "I am excited to take on this role, to develop partnerships that will facilitate and develop the ambition and talent of young people across the Gulf. My focus is on building young people’s confidence and developing their skills in using the English language."

 

"I look to strengthen further the links between our universities and invest in Early Career Researchers. I hope also to harness the unique power of the arts to transform cultural relationships, for the enrichment of all our lives," he stated. 

 

Matthew’s leadership roles have included Head of Programmes and Partnerships in Bangladesh, Area Director in East China, and Director of the British Council in Japan. In Bangladesh, he led programmes supporting government priorities on Climate Change education and helped establish a Youth Parliament. 

 

Back in the UK, he contributed to global strategy as Regional Head in the British Council's London Office, supporting teams across 70 countries. In China, he developed major projects such as a year-long celebration of Shakespeare’s 400th Anniversary and the creation of a UK-China university consortium.-TradeArabia News Service