Postgraduate student appointed Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic
John Kittmer, a postgraduate research student in the Centre for Hellenic Studies, has been appointed as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic. He will replace Dr David Landsman OBE who is now transferring to a different appointment.
John has worked in various government roles throughout his career, including at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, focussing on domestic, international and EU policies. He completed an MA in Modern Greek Studies at King’s in 2007 and is currently a part-time PhD student. John said: ‘During my MA I got hooked on the poetry and times of Yannis Ritsos, one of Greece’s most prolific and important 20th Century poets and decided to work towards a PhD on a broader aspect of his output. It isn’t always easy to match part-time study with a full-time job, but my supervisors are flexible and great encouragers.’
On his new appointment, John said: ‘It is a great honour to be asked to serve in Greece, a country whose people, language and culture I have admired and studied for many years. My appointment is a great privilege and I’m hugely looking forward to the various challenges of the job. I know that what I have learned at King’s, and will continue to learn in the years ahead, will help me in my new post. A knowledge of Greece’s modern history, culture and literature is precious background for the work ahead.’