Diplomat Colin Leeman on Foreign Service, Travelling the World & Coming Out

 

Meet Colin Leeman…

Colin Leeman is the British Consul General in Cape Town. Over the last twenty years in the British Foreign Service, he’s had postings to Iraq, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, the UAE, New Zealand — and now South Africa.

In today’s episode we talk about:

  • What a Consul General actually does/the perks of being a Foreign Diplomat

  • Rescuing Emma Little-Pengelly MLA from a kidnapping

  • Going from wanting to be a presbyterian minister to working for the British Government

  • Coming out as gay (and what it meant to him both personally & professionally)

  • His time in Iraq during the aftermath of the war

  • Helping thousands of British tourists escape New Zealand during the COVID lockdowns

  • Why he didn’t go to a barber for 19-years

  • How he’s seen Northern Ireland change over the years

  • Building community and relationships with people around the world

  • And advice he’d give to an 18-year-old version of himself

Check it out!

Today's episode is part of our collaboration with NI Connections where we catch up with someone incredible from Northern Ireland doing interesting things overseas on the last Monday of every month.

To discover more amazing diaspora stories, check out their website niconnections.com where you can also sign up for their free, monthly newsletter.

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See you next time.

— Matt

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Matthew Thompson