Keith Allan was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1968. Following a brief spell with the Ministry of Defence he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1988, serving in London before being assigned to the British High Commission in Botswana in 1990. Between 1993 and 1995 he travelled extensively with the Foreign Office, including to the USA, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Kenya, Iran and Libya.  

In 1996 he returned to London to work in the Counter Terrorism Policy Department, where he handled the response to the kidnapping of UK nationals overseas. In 1997 he was posted to the British Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan as Deputy Head of Mission. During this period, he was responsible for security and counter narcotics issues, as well as heading the UK’s commercial efforts.

Keith returned to London in 2000 as head of the political section in Central and Northwest European Department dealing with relations with Switzerland and Norway. In January 2002, he spent one month working as Consul in the British Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan following the reopening of the mission after 9/11. On his return from Kabul he took up the position of Deputy Director for Africa and the Middle East in UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). In early 2003 he was asked to establish a new Iraq Unit in UKTI. He worked closely with the US Embassy in London and organised a major UK/US conference for companies looking to get involved in the reconstruction process in Iraq. He accompanied UK government Ministers to Cabinet meetings and on visits to Washington.  

In July 2003 Keith was posted to Trinidad and Tobago as Deputy High Commissioner. His role has largely been working with UK and local agencies to tackle the serious crime problem in the country and also efforts to counter the flow of narcotics from South America.

Keith was appointed Consul in Miami in March 2006 and was upgraded to Consul General in May 2007. As the British Government’s senior representative in Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, he oversees the broad range of UK work in the region.

Keith has been married to Marja since 1996. They have one son and two daughters.

Keith enjoys playing and watching most sports, including tennis, squash, football and golf. He enjoys reading (when the children allow) and working on improving his Spanish language skills!