[3] Dell obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in 1978 and a Master of Philosophy from Balliol College, Oxford, in 1980.

[4] During the 1980s, Dell worked in American embassies and consulates in Mexico and Portugal, and at the Foreign Office.

[6] As a result of tense relations, Dell has borne the brunt of the Zimbabwe government's displeasure.

On March 19, acting on orders from President Mugabe, Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi summoned Dell and other western diplomats to his ministry to receive an official warning to stop interfering in the country's internal affairs.

When Mumbengegwi refused to allow the diplomats an opportunity to ask questions, Dell walked out, describing the meeting as a "sham" for the benefit of the state media, who were filming the proceedings.

On September 15, 2012, Ambassador Christopher Dell was appointed the civilian deputy to General Ham, United States Africa Command.

[17] In April 2014, an article appeared in The Guardian on how Dell after his posting had joined Bechtel, a company he had heavily lobbied for to obtain a controversial contract to build an expensive highway, in the poorest country in Europe.