Ambassador Simon Butt, who was 50 in April 2008, arrived in Vilnius to take up his responsibilities on 7 May, and presented his credentials to His Excellency President Valdas Adamkus on 26 May.

Mr Butt is a career member of the British diplomatic service. He graduated from Oxford University in 1979 with a first-class honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Mr Butt joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the year of his graduation and worked initially in the "East European and Soviet Department" dealing with aspects of Anglo-Soviet relations. He subsequently learned Russian and spent two years as a political officer in the British Embassy in Moscow, 1982-1984, dealing with Soviet external relations.

From Moscow Mr Butt was assigned for two years to Myanmar/Burma, dealing primarily with commercial and consular matters in a very different climate and culture. Thereafter, Mr Butt spent four years back in London, to 1990 working initially as Head of Section, in what was by then the "Soviet Department" on bilateral and Soviet internal issues. Subsequently Mr Butt became the FCO's speechwriter, working for three successive Ministers.

From 1990-1994 Mr Butt served in the External Relations Section of the UK Delegation to the EU in Brussels, covering primarily the working group dealing with the post-Soviet countries of Europe and Central Asia. It was during this period that Mr Butt first came to Lithuania, only a few days after 13 January 1991, with a group of officials, academics and journalists. The group met with the Parliamentary leadership in a parliament still heavily barricaded and paid respect at the graves of the victims of the struggle for independence.

Mr Butt then returned to London and worked for three years as Deputy Head of Eastern Department, dealing with the CIS countries. He then served as Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Kiev, 1997-2000. After Kiev, Mr Butt worked for four years as Head of Eastern Department.

As a contrast to a period of fairly intensive exposure to European and Central Asian issues, Mr Butt next worked, from 2004-2007 as Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad, Pakistan. This is one of the UK's largest missions anywhere in the world. Mr Butt is single. He has a brother and sister in the UK. He speaks Russian and French and intends to study some Lithuanian. His interests include travel and current affairs (naturally), walking, history and the island of St Helena, especially the period of Napoleon's exile there 1815-21. While enjoying the arts, he would not presume to deep knowledge in any particular sphere. But he is excited at the range and quality of cultural opportunities available in Lithuania.

Ambassador Butt brings a wide and varied range of experience to his assignment in Vilnius. He is delighted to be returning to a European capital which has shared in the excitement and profound changes brought about by the march of history over the past decades.