Julian Evans was born in Gorseinon in South Wales in 1957. He attended University College of the University of London, and graduated with an Honours Degree in Geography.

He went straight from university to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1978, starting in the Nationality and Treaty Department before moving to the Nuclear Energy Department in 1979.

After learning Russian, Julian was posted to the British Embassy in Moscow (1982-1984) as Third Secretary (Scientific). In 1985 he moved to Zurich, Switzerland, to be Vice Consul (Commercial).

In 1986 he returned to the FCO in London where he was Assistant Private Secretary to three Ministers of State: the Rt Hon Tim Renton MP (1987), the Rt Hon David Mellor MP (1987-1988), and the Rt Hon William Waldegrave MP (1988-1989). From 1989-1991 Julian worked in the Environment, Science and Energy Department of the FCO, on contentious international wildlife issues such as elephant ivory and whaling.

In 1991 he was posted to the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York as Second, later First, Secretary (Political) and Press Officer, and Alternate Representative to the UN Security Council.

Julian returned to London in 1996 to become Head of the Transcaucus and Energy Section in Eastern Department at the FCO, and subsequently Head of the Central Asia and Transcaucus Section, dealing with conflicts and energy issues(such as pipeline politics) in the former Soviet Union. From 1999-2001 he was Deputy Head of Central and North West European Department, dealing with the Western and Central European countries that were outside the European Union (EU).

In 2001 Julian was Head of the Afghanistan Emergency Unit in the FCO, before serving as Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan (March 2002-February 2003).

From 2003-2007, he was Deputy High Commissioner to Canada (Acting High Commissioner from August 2006 to February 2007), before being named British Consul-General in San Francisco from 1 October 2007.

Julian is married to Gayle and has two young daughters, Isabella and Georgina.