Alan GemmellOBEFRSA(born 6 April 1978) is aScottishLabour Partypolitician and diplomat, who has served as themember of parliament(MP) forCentral Ayrshiresince 2024.[1]
Alan Gemmell | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forCentral Ayrshire | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Philippa Whitford |
| Majority | 6,869 (16.6%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 April 1978 |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Damien Lee Stirk (m.2015) |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
He is co-founder of FiveFilms4Freedom and a former director of theBritish Councilin India. Gemmel was appointed as Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council in December 2018.[2]
Early life and career
editGemmell attendedIrvine Royal Academyand theRoyal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama's (RSAMD) junior school. He studied piano and trombone at the RSAMD, and toured with theScottish National Youth Orchestra.[3]He read law at theUniversity of Glasgow.[4]
Gemmell worked for thecivil servicefrom 2003 to 2007. He wasprivate secretaryto theHome Officepermanent secretary,John Gieve,from 2003 to 2005. He was the Home Office director foreconomic migrationfrom 2005 until 2006, when he became acounter radicalisationadvisor in theCabinet Office.[5]
British Council career
editGemmell has served as director of theBritish 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-yearSTEMmaster's degreeat 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 commissionedSarah Eberleto create the firstBritish Councilgarden at the 2018Chelsea Flower Showits anniversary.[13]
State engagement
editGemmell signed an agreement with theDelhigovernment 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 ministerChandrababu Naidu,to train 100,000 college students.[16]Gemmell signed an agreement witnessesd by Hon'ble Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaikto 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 theNorth Eastern Councilof theMinistry for Development of North Eastern Regionof theGovernment 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 ofArunachal Pradeshin the presence of Hon'ble Chief MinisterPema Khanduat 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
editGemmell was responsible for the 2017 UK-India Year of Culture, a year of cultural exchange announced by Prime MinisterNarendra Modion 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]
Her MajestyThe Queenhosted the official launch of the year on 27 February 2017 atBuckingham Palacewith Indian finance ministerArun Jaitleyrepresenting Prime Minister Modi. Gemmell worked withthe 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 ChairRt Hon Baroness Prashar CBE PC,UK Minister of State for Digital and Culture Rt HonMatt Hancockand 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 theBritish Museumand TheChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalayain Mumbai,[25]the first exhibition on Indian innovation at the UK'sScience Museum, London,[26]and the restoration of 1928 Indian movie, Shiraz, by theBritish Film Institutewith a new score by British-Indian musicianAnoushka Shankar.[27]
Mix the City
edit
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, theBBCand theArts 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 withRolling StoneIndia[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
editIn November 2016 Gemmell launched Mix the Play,[36]an interactive digital theatre collaboration with Indian directorRoysten Abel,during the visit of British prime minister Theresa May to India.[37]Mix the Play allows users to directAdil HussainKalki Koechlin,Kriti Pant and Tushar Pandey in the balcony scene ofShakespeare'sRomeo 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
editIn October 2017 Gemmell launched Mix the Body,[40]an interactive dance platform with British choreographerWayne McGregor.Mix the Body lets users create a unique dance performance on their mobiles using dancers from McGregor's companyStudio Wayne McGregorand Bangalore-based Attakkalri. Users can set their dance to the music of British composersMax RichterandJon 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
editIn 2015 Gemmell co-foundedfiveFilms4freedom,an online, free, 10-day LGBT film festival promoting freedom, equality and LGBT rights, with theBritish Film Instituteand theUNFree & 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 operatorJioand 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
editGemmell secured £7 million from British and international medical research foundations for the BIRAX RMI programme through partnerships withParkinson's UK,JDRF,theMS SocietyandBritish Heart Foundation.[51]BIRAX RMI has funded 15 research collaborations between scientists in Britain and Israel including a collaboration to develop a breath test forParkinson'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
editGemmell 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
editIn 2020, Gemmell was appointed as BritishTrade Commissionerand DeputyHigh CommissionerforSouth Asia.[59]
He was responsible for over 100 employees as trade commissioner, and tasked with increasing UK-India trade.[60]He secured a reduction onScotch whiskyduty in the state ofMaharashtra,[61]and co-chaired the UK's second trade policy dialogue withBangladesh.[62]
As deputy high commissioner, Gemmell initiated a joint mission to progress of the trial of a murdered British-Irish citizen inGoa.[63][64]He established an annual commemoration for Percy Norris, the former British High Commissioner toBombay,who was assassinated in the 1980s.[65]
In 2023, Gemmell represented Britain at the inaugural commemoration of the 1942 sinking of theSS Tilawain India.[66][67]He also met with theMaharashtrastate government to discuss loaning IndiaShivaji's17th century swords.[68]
Political career
editGemmell is a member of theLabour Partyand their parliamentary candidate forCentral Ayrshireat the2024 general election.[1]He won the seat, gaining it from theScottish National Party.[69]
In theStarmer ministry,Gemmell serves asParliamentary Private Secretaryto theSecretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.[70]
Personal life and honours
edit
Gemmell married Damien Lee Stirk, a ballet dancer and teacher, in 2015. Hisbest manwas Labour politicianConor McGinn,who mentioned his weddingParliamentin support of marriage equality.[71][72]
Gemmell was appointed OBE in the 2016 New Year Honours List.[73]He is a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Artsand a founding Leadership Fellow ofSt George's House, Windsor Castle.
Gemmell was included on the 2017Financial Timeslist of Top 20 Public Sector LGBT Executives.[74]He is listed in GQ Magazine's 2016 Most Connected Men in the UK.[75]
Gemmell was included in the 2018Financial Timeslist of Top 30 Public Sector LGBT Executives.[76][49]
In 2021, Gemmell was awarded anhonorary doctorateby theUniversity of Boltonfor his contribution to UK-India trade relations.[77]
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.[78]
Gemmell lives in Irvine, a town in the constituency he represents.
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External links
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