Sir Simon James Fraser GCMG (born 3 June 1958)[1] is a British former diplomat who served as the Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from August 2010 to July 2015,[2] having served as Permanent Secretary of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills from May 2009 to August 2010.

[4] Fraser was educated at St Paul's School, London, and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he gained an MA in Classics.

He joined the Office in 1979, from where he was sent to the United Nations to help the lead UK delegation to the 5th Committee of the General Assembly.

Having been seconded to the European Commission he worked as Chef du Cabinet for Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in September 2004; he returned to the FCO in February 2008, where he took up the role of Director-General, Europe and Globalisation.

[7] In July 2010, the Prime Minister announced that Fraser would become Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to replace Sir Peter Ricketts.