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Alan Gemmell

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This article is about the British diplomat. For the biology professor, see Alan Gemmell (biology professor).
Alan Gemmell
OBE MP FRSA
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Central Ayrshire
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byPhilippa Whitford
Majority6,869 (16.6%)
Personal details
Born (1978-04-06) 6 April 1978 (age 46)
Political partyLabour
Spouse
Damien Lee Stirk
​
(m. 2015)​
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow

Alan Gemmell OBE FRSA (born 6 April 1978) is a Scottish Labour Party politician and diplomat, who has served as the member of parliament (MP) for Central Ayrshire since 2024.[1]

He is co-founder of FiveFilms4Freedom and a former director of the British Council in India. Gemmel was appointed as Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council in December 2018.[2]

Early life and career

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Gemmell attended Irvine Royal Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama's (RSAMD) junior school. He studied piano and trombone at the RSAMD, and toured with the Scottish National Youth Orchestra.[3] He read law at the University of Glasgow.[4]

Gemmell worked for the civil service from 2003 to 2007. He was private secretary to the Home Office permanent secretary, John Gieve, from 2003 to 2005. He was the Home Office director for economic migration from 2005 until 2006, when he became a counter radicalisation advisor in the Cabinet Office.[5]

British Council career

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Gemmell has served as director of the British Council in India, as well as director for Israel from 2012 to 2016; deputy director for Mexico (2011–2012); in São Paulo, Brazil (2011); and, as director of external relations, London (2008–2011).[6]

He established a university scholarship programme for women in 2018,[7] awarding 100 Indians funding for a one-year STEM master's degree at British universities.[8][9] He launched the Changing Moves, Changing Minds campaign to promote cricket amongst young girls.[10]

In 2018, he hosted a lunch for tens of thousands to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the British Council in India.[11][12] He also commissioned Sarah Eberle to create the first British Council garden at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show its anniversary.[13]

State engagement

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Gemmell signed an agreement with the Delhi government to improve the English-Language skills of over 10,000 young people in the state.[14] Gemmell signed an agreement with the state of Maharashtra to train 30,000 teachers benefiting 1.5 million children across the state.[15] Gemmell secure a partnership with the state of Andhra Pradesh and its chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, to train 100,000 college students.[16] Gemmell signed an agreement witnessesd by Hon'ble Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to support English teaching across the state and improve the skills of young people in Odisha.[17]

Gemmell has led a focus on Northeast India signing an agreement with the North Eastern Council of the Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region of the Government of India. The North Eastern Council partnership enabled the British Council to develop new partnership and education programmes across the North East.[18]

Gemmell signed an agreement with the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the presence of Hon'ble Chief Minister Pema Khandu at the Tawang Festival in October 2018 to develop cultural and educational programmes.[19] Gemmell signed an agreement with the Government of Sikkim to develop similar initiatives.[20]

UK-India Year of Culture

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Gemmell was responsible for the 2017 UK-India Year of Culture, a year of cultural exchange announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his November 2015 visit to the UK.[21] British prime minister Theresa May and Indian prime minister Modi referenced the Year of Culture and its unprecedented level of cultural exchange in the Joint Statement to mark the visit of PM Modi to London in April 2018.[22]

UK-India Year of Culture official launch

Her Majesty The Queen hosted the official launch of the year on 27 February 2017 at Buckingham Palace with Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley representing Prime Minister Modi. Gemmell worked with the Palace, British Indian start-up Studio Carrom and 2017 Creative Director Ruth Ur to project a peacock, India's national bird, onto the facade of Buckingham Palace.[23]

The programme for the year was announced by British Council Deputy Chair Rt Hon Baroness Prashar CBE PC, UK Minister of State for Digital and Culture Rt Hon Matt Hancock and Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom HE Mr Sinha at the British Film Institute on 28 February 2017.[24] The programme includes an exhibition from the British Museum and The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai,[25] the first exhibition on Indian innovation at the UK's Science Museum, London,[26] and the restoration of 1928 Indian movie, Shiraz, by the British Film Institute with a new score by British-Indian musician Anoushka Shankar.[27]

Mix the City

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British Council Delhi launch of Mix the City Delhi, 6 April 2017

Gemmell inaugurated the Year of Culture in India on 6 April 2017 projecting elements of the Buckingham Palace Studio Carrom peacock onto the British Council's Delhi building and launching Mix the City Delhi.[28][29] Gemmell commissioned Mix the City in 2015 working with UK tech start-ups Flying Object and Roll Studio, the BBC and the Arts Council of England. Mix the city is the British Council's first interactive art work.[30] For the Year of Culture, Gemmell commissioned Mix the City in India's 4 main cities Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.[31][32] Gemmell launched Mix the City Mumbai[33] in partnership with Rolling Stone India[31] at a Music Expo hosted by the UK Government's Department of International Trade on 31 March 2017.[34] He launched Mix the City Northeast in February 2018 at IIT Guwahati's student festival Alcheringa.[35]

Mix the Play

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In November 2016 Gemmell launched Mix the Play,[36] an interactive digital theatre collaboration with Indian director Roysten Abel, during the visit of British prime minister Theresa May to India.[37] Mix the Play allows users to direct Adil Hussain Kalki Koechlin, Kriti Pant and Tushar Pandey in the balcony scene of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.[38] Mix the Play was part of the U.K. Government's commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare.[39] Mix the Play was again developed with Flying Object and Roll Studio.

Mix the Body

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In October 2017 Gemmell launched Mix the Body,[40] an interactive dance platform with British choreographer Wayne McGregor. Mix the Body lets users create a unique dance performance on their mobiles using dancers from McGregor's company Studio Wayne McGregor and Bangalore-based Attakkalri. Users can set their dance to the music of British composers Max Richter and Jon Hopkins.[41] Thus is the third interactive art work created with Flying Object and Roll Studio. The Mix series have been experienced by over 1.5 million people from 200 countries.[42]

fiveFilms4freedom

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In 2015 Gemmell co-founded fiveFilms4freedom, an online, free, 10-day LGBT film festival promoting freedom, equality and LGBT rights, with the British Film Institute and the UN Free & Equal Campaign.[43] The initiative was seen in 135 countries.[44]

The second fiveFilms4freedom ran from 16 to 27 March 2016.[45] The initiative was seen in 179 countries.[46] In 2016 Gemmell also launched a Global List of people promoting LGBT rights.[47][48]

For the fourth fiveFilms4freedom Gemmell developed a partnership with Indian mobile network operator Jio and selected the first Indian short film, Goddess, by director Karishma Dev Dube.[49] 2.8 million people in India viewed the film on Jio's network.[50]

Academic Exchange Partnership

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Gemmell secured £7 million from British and international medical research foundations for the BIRAX RMI programme through partnerships with Parkinson's UK, JDRF, the MS Society and British Heart Foundation.[51] BIRAX RMI has funded 15 research collaborations between scientists in Britain and Israel including a collaboration to develop a breath test for Parkinson's disease.[52][53] The BIRAX programme has been supported by the prime ministers of Britain and Israel.[54][55]

Middle East Water Research Programme

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Gemmell created the UK's first multi-lateral water research programme in the Middle East – a platform for scientists from across the region to work together with British scientists to tackle critical water issues.[56] Five research projects were announced in April 2016 involving water researchers from Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Gaza, Morocco, Jordan and the UK.[57] Gemmell also created a scholarship programme for water technology and health graduates of Palestinian universities to study full PhDs at Israeli universities.[58]

Commissioner career

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In 2020, Gemmell was appointed as British Trade Commissioner and Deputy High Commissioner for South Asia.[59]

He was responsible for over 100 employees as trade commissioner, and tasked with increasing UK-India trade.[60] He secured a reduction on Scotch whisky duty in the state of Maharashtra,[61] and co-chaired the UK's second trade policy dialogue with Bangladesh.[62]

As deputy high commissioner, Gemmell initiated a joint mission to progress of the trial of a murdered British-Irish citizen in Goa.[63][64] He established an annual commemoration for Percy Norris, the former British High Commissioner to Bombay, who was assassinated in the 1980s.[65]

In 2023, Gemmell represented Britain at the inaugural commemoration of the 1942 sinking of the SS Tilawa in India.[66][67] He also met with the Maharashtra state government to discuss loaning India Shivaji's 17th century swords.[68]

Political career

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Gemmell is a member of the Labour Party and their parliamentary candidate for Central Ayrshire at the 2024 general election.[1] He won the seat, gaining it from the Scottish National Party.[69]

In the Starmer ministry, Gemmell serves as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.[70]

In November 2024, Gemmell voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted suicide.[71]

Personal life and honours

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Gemmell and Stirk's wedding, 2015

Gemmell married Damien Lee Stirk, a ballet dancer and teacher, in 2015. His best man was Labour politician Conor McGinn, who mentioned his wedding Parliament in support of marriage equality.[72][73]

Gemmell was appointed OBE in the 2016 New Year Honours List.[74] He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a founding Leadership Fellow of St George's House, Windsor Castle.

Gemmell was included on the 2017 Financial Times list of Top 20 Public Sector LGBT Executives.[75] He is listed in GQ Magazine's 2016 Most Connected Men in the UK.[76]

Gemmell was included in the 2018 Financial Times list of Top 30 Public Sector LGBT Executives.[77][49]

In 2021, Gemmell was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bolton for his contribution to UK-India trade relations.[78]

In November 2024 Gemmell received an Honorary Doctorate from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha in recognition of the investment and jobs created during his time as British Trade Commissioner and his work to strengthen UK-India relationship.[79]  

Gemmell lives in Irvine, a town in the constituency he represents.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Former UK diplomat chosen as Labour's Central Ayrshire candidate for UK election". Ayr Advertiser. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Alan Gemmell Appointed as CEO of the CWEIC". cweic.org. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Drumming it into them. NYOS, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall". Herald Scotland. August 1995.
  4. ^ Judy Maltz (28 January 2013). "New Director of British Council Calmly Weathers Israel's Storms". Haaretz.com.
  5. ^ Ciaran Shanks (18 May 2016). "Irvine diplomat Alan Gemmell is honoured by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace with OBE". Irvine Times.
  6. ^ Sergio Burns (July 2017). "Alan Gemmell OBE The Well Connected Man About Town". Ayrshire Magazine.
  7. ^ "British Council to felicitate 100 Indian women". Business Standard. 16 March 2018.
  8. ^ "To celebrate 70th Anniversary, British Council awards scholarships to 100 Indian women". Millennium Post. 19 March 2018.
  9. ^ "Prime Minister Rt Hon Theresa May MP felicitates 104 Indian Women STEM Scholars in the United Kingdom". India Education Diary. 4 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Cricket is tackling sexism in India's schools". BBC News Global Education. 22 August 2018.
  11. ^ "27,000 students of KISS take part in Commonwealth Big Lunch". Times of India. 23 March 2018.
  12. ^ "KISS, British Council host 'Commonwealth Big Lunch'". The Statesman. 24 March 2018.
  13. ^ "Tendulkar inspires first cricket garden at UK flower show". Times of India. 18 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Delhi Government Partners With British Council To Create More Learning Opportunities For Its Students And Teachers". BWEducation. 17 October 2018.
  15. ^ Vatsala Gaur (26 April 2018). "Maharashtra government signs MoU with British Council on education and cultural collaboration". The Economic Times.
  16. ^ "British Council to train one lakh students in State in English proficiency". The Hindu. 28 April 2017.
  17. ^ "British Council to provide expertise in English skills". The New Indian Express. 24 March 2018.
  18. ^ "British Council to train teachers of NE". Times of India. 12 October 2018.
  19. ^ "British Council signs MoU to improve ties with Arunachal". Times of India. 29 October 2018.
  20. ^ "Sikkim govt signs Mou with British Council". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 12 June 2017.
  21. ^ Prasun Sonwalkar (13 November 2015). "Cameron announces 2017 as the UK-India Year of Culture". Hindustan Times.
  22. ^ "UK-India joint statement: shared values, global capability". Gov.UK. 18 April 2018.
  23. ^ Prasun Sonwalkar (28 February 2017). "Indian colours, peacock light up the Buckingham Palace as British Queen plays host to India". Hindustan Times.
  24. ^ Prasun Sonwalkar (28 February 2017). "Himanshu Rai's 1928 film Shiraz restored for UK-India Year of Culture". Hindustan Times.
  25. ^ Poorva Joshi (3 February 2017). "An exhibition will showcase 5,000 years of Indian history in 9 stories". Hindustan Times.
  26. ^ Aditi Khanna (5 February 2017). "India season kicks off in Britain". Hindustan Times.
  27. ^ Suresh Chabria (3 April 2017). "Restored classic 'Shiraz' is as timeless as the Taj Mahal monument that inspired it". scroll.in.
  28. ^ "Mix the City Delhi". Archived from the original on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  29. ^ Chanpreet Khurana (6 April 2017). "A world of sounds: A new site invites you to play DJ, with Delhi and Mumbai as your muse". scroll.in.
  30. ^ BBC Arts (5 February 2017). "Mix the City lets you create your own music mash-ups". BBC.co.uk.
  31. ^ a b Riddhi Chakraborty (29 March 2017). "Global Music Project 'Mix The City' Launches in India". Rolling Stone India.
  32. ^ IANS (30 March 2017). "Mix the City India to bring alive sights, sounds of four cities". Business Standard.
  33. ^ "Mix the City Mumbai". Archived from the original on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  34. ^ Bhanuj Khappal (2013). "Mixing and Mastering Mumbai's Music". Hindustan Times.
  35. ^ "British Council places Musicians from Northeastern States on the Global map". Guwahati Plus. 3 February 2018.
  36. ^ "Mix the Play | British Council". mixtheplay.britishcouncil.org. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017.
  37. ^ Dipanita Nath (8 November 2016). "Make a Scene An online initiative, Mix the Play, launched during the visit of British PM Theresa May, allows users to create their own version of Romeo and Juliet's balcony scene". The Indian Express.
  38. ^ A Gemmell (8 November 2016). "Fancy Directing Kalki Koechlin And Adil Hussain In 'Romeo And Juliet?". The Huffington Post.
  39. ^ S Ravi (15 June 2016). "Mix and Match. As the British Council unveils a series of initiatives to showcase contemporary UK culture in the country, Alan Gemmell, the new director, talks about things to do". The Hindu.
  40. ^ "Mix The Body". mixthebody.britishcouncil.org. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017.
  41. ^ "now create your own dance digitally". Tindia today. 17 October 2017.
  42. ^ Kritika Dua (17 October 2017). "embracing dance". the pioneer.
  43. ^ Mark Brown (18 March 2015). "Love is ... five gay films going global in the name of human rights". the Guardian.
  44. ^ Foreign and Commonwealth. "Human Rights Report 2014–15" (PDF).
  45. ^ Heather Cassell (17 March 2016). "World's first online LGBT film festival opens". The Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco.
  46. ^ "fiveFilms4Freedom reaches 140 million". casarotto. 11 April 2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  47. ^ Soma Das (7 April 2016). "Sridhar Rangayan on the National Award". Hindustan Times, Mumbai.
  48. ^ Alanna Jane Higginson. "Paul Burston featured in British Council's fiveFilms4freedom 2016 Global List". Out News Global. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016.
  49. ^ a b "30 LGBT+ Public Sector Executives 2018". out-standing.org. 25 October 2018. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  50. ^ Roshan Nair (10 August 2018). "British Council turns 70, focusses on online space". Deccan Herald.
  51. ^ Judy Siegel-Itzkovich (11 November 2015). "In the face of BDS movement, Britain and Israel agree to expand scientific cooperation". The Jerusalem Post - JPost.com.
  52. ^ "Israeli scientists aim for Parkinson's breath test breakthrough". Times of Israel. 11 February 2015.
  53. ^ Foreign and Commonwealth Office (11 February 2015). "UK and Israel ties boosted by new medical research funding". gov.uk.
  54. ^ "U.K. Prime Minister Announces $4.9 Million for British-Israeli Medical Research". Haaretz. 12 February 2015.
  55. ^ "PM David Cameron meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu". UK Government. 10 September 2015.
  56. ^ "New British ambassador announces water research programs for UK, Israeli scientists". The Jerusalem Post - JPost.com. 22 July 2015.
  57. ^ "House of Lords. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Questions. Middle East – Water. Written answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns". Hansard. 4 May 2016.
  58. ^ "Graduate Research Opportunities in Water Technology and Health". British Council Israel. British Council. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  59. ^ "Alan Gemmell OBE". GOV.UK. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  60. ^ "UK eyes big investments in India with electric vehicles, environment in focus". Hindustan Times. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  61. ^ "Maharashtra cuts excise duty on imported liquor by 50 per cent". The Times of India. 20 November 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  62. ^ "Bangladesh – UK Trade and Investment Dialogue 2023". GOV.UK. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  63. ^ Donnelly, Nicola (10 June 2022). "Mum of murdered Irish woman hopes justice in sight after years of legal delays". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  64. ^ Donnelly, Nicola (7 April 2023). "Family of Danielle McLaughlin hopeful for breakthrough in quest for justice". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  65. ^ "Memorial service held for British diplomat Percy Norris shot dead in 1984 in Mumbai". The Hindu. 27 November 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  66. ^ "Reminding the world of the SS Tilawa tragedy". The Times of India. 1 January 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  67. ^ "Third survivor of SS Tilawa tragedy comes forward". Hindustan Times. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  68. ^ "Will try to get back Shivaji's sword from U.K., says Maharashtra Minister". The Hindu. 16 April 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  69. ^ "Central Ayrshire – General election results 2024". BBC News.
  70. ^ "List of Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS): September 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  71. ^ "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading". Votes in Parliament. 29 November 2024.
  72. ^ "Business of the House of Commons Questions. Question from Conor McGinn MP". Hansard. 16 July 2015.
  73. ^ "Marriage (Same Sex Couples) (Northern Ireland)". Hansard. 28 March 2018.
  74. ^ "Alan Gemmell Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. 31 December 2015.
  75. ^ "The OUTstanding lists: LGBT leaders and allies today". Financial Times. 26 October 2017.
  76. ^ Charlie Burton (6 April 2016). "Who are the 100 most connected men in 2016?". GQ.
  77. ^ "The OUTstanding lists 2018: LGBT+ leaders and allies". Financial Times. 25 October 2018.
  78. ^ "Honorary Doctorates". University of Bolton. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  79. ^ "Padma Shri Dr. Mukesh Batra Honored with D.Litt. (Honoris Causa) by KISS Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar". APN News. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Central Ayrshire
2024–present 		Incumbent
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