Matthew Gould

Gould grew up in northwest London, attended St Paul’s School, and studied at Cambridge before joining the Foreign Service in 1993.[2] His upbringing included Jewish education and community life: he attended cheder from about the age of six to 16 and went to Jewish summer camps.[2]

In an interview, Gould recounted that his grandfather came from Warsaw to Britain in the 1920s. His grandfather had left after confronting Cossacks who were beating his own father, spent several years as a refugee around Europe, and later settled in Birmingham; Gould said that most of his grandfather’s siblings who had not escaped before the Nazi takeover died in the Holocaust.[2]

Gould joined the British Foreign Service in 1993 and later served as deputy head of mission in Tehran. While there, he attended synagogue and engaged with the Jewish community and other minority communities.[2] At age 26, he received an MBE for his role in arranging the Blair government’s London Conference on Nazi Gold in December 1997.[2]

Appointed British ambassador to Israel in September 2010, Gould said he was proud to represent Britain there and that his British and Jewish identities sat comfortably together. He emphasized, “I’m here as the British ambassador, not the Jewish ambassador.”[2] He also described listening to people across political, religious, and social divides as a central priority in his new post.[2]

Gould served as ambassador from 2010 to 2015. He and his family spent almost five years in Israel, where his two daughters were born.[1] In 2015 he moved to become director of cyber-security and information assurance at the Cabinet Office.[6] In April 2019, he was appointed chief executive of NHSX, a government unit tasked with setting national policy and developing best practice for NHS technology, digital services, and data.[7]

A prominent focus of Gould’s ambassadorship was building practical partnerships between Britain and Israel. In October 2011, the British Embassy in Tel Aviv established a High-Tech Hub at his initiative to create lasting partnerships between the countries in high technology. Its planned six-person staff included a director and specialists in digital technology, cleantech, biotechnology, and the Arab Israeli high-technology community.[8]

The Hub helped bring Israeli startups to London: a 2013 report said 15 had visited in 2012, with three setting up offices there and six others discussing collaborations with local companies.[9] The initiative also developed institutional links. In February 2012, Haim Shani was appointed the Hub’s non-executive chairman, with responsibilities that included strategy and engagement with business leaders in both countries.[10]

Shani also joined the newly established UK–Israel Tech Council, chaired by Britain’s Minister for Universities David Willetts and Israel’s Chief Scientist Avi Hasson.[10]

In January 2011, Gould and scientists from Britain and Israel inaugurated a 21-member Life Sciences Council to promote joint research. Co-chaired by Gould, Oxford biochemist Raymond Dwek, and Ben-Gurion University president Rivka Carmi, the council included 12 British members and the remaining members from Israel. Its initial focus was regenerative medical therapies, including stem-cell approaches to treating or curing disease; Gould set a five-year research-investment target of £10 million and said donor commitments had already been received.[11]

A 2015 account credited Gould’s leadership with helping expand cooperation between British and Israeli universities and academics. It reported that the Britain–Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership had announced £10 million in support for advanced medical-research projects at 11 universities in the two countries, alongside a postdoctoral student agreement signed shortly before the article appeared.[3] In his farewell remarks, Gould highlighted continuing cooperation in security, the economy, science, and technology.[1]

Gould’s public work also included engagement with communities within Israel. He studied Hebrew while serving as ambassador; a 2012 report noted that his proficiency was improving and described language study by foreign envoys as a means of developing closer relationships.[12] Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira helped arrange introductory meetings for British ambassadors, including Gould, with Haredi leaders, as well as visits by British figures to Haredi yeshivas and panel discussions. Gould praised the effort for helping build friendship and respect between Britain and the Haredi community and for giving diplomats a better understanding of an important part of Israeli society.[13]

Gould and fellow ambassadors Ron Prosor and Daniel Taub launched a network of clubs for Holocaust survivors in Israel. In 2015, Gould said the network had 21 clubs serving 1,600 survivors, with an expansion to 25 planned; members met once or twice a week. He described the project as among the achievements of which he was most proud and as a demonstration of the bond between the UK Jewish community and Israel.[6]

Gould’s ambassadorship produced institutional initiatives in technology, academic research, and community outreach. The High-Tech Hub connected the two countries’ technology sectors, while research partnerships supported advanced medical projects at British and Israeli universities.[3][8] The survivor-club network linked diplomatic activity with practical support and community ties.[6] His farewell account also highlighted continuing security, economic, scientific, and technological cooperation between Britain and Israel.[1]

Gould’s later appointments extended his public career into digital government and health technology. After serving in cyber-security at the Cabinet Office, he became chief executive of NHSX in 2019.[6][7]

Gould’s appointment drew questions about whether his Jewish identity compromised his ability to represent Britain. A 2010 report recorded dual-loyalty allegations, including the suggestion that a Jewish ambassador might serve “two masters”; these were claims made about Gould, not established findings about his conduct.[4] In 2011, Labour MP Paul Flynn questioned his suitability during a House of Commons committee debate, saying the ambassador should be “someone with roots in the UK [who] can’t be accused of having Jewish loyalty.”[5] Fiamma Nirenstein, then chairperson of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians, condemned the remark as invoking a double-loyalty stereotype and called for an apology; Flynn rejected allegations of antisemitism as “ludicrous.”[5]

The episode was also reported as a dispute over Gould’s Jewish identity and his self-description as a Zionist, with other lawmakers criticizing Flynn’s comments.[14] A later commentary characterized Gould’s appointment and tenure as controversial because of perceptions surrounding his identity, while praising his service.[15]

A separate diplomatic issue arose in December 2012 after Israel approved 3,000 housing units in the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria — including in the E1 area. A report relayed claims that Britain might recall Gould or consider suspending trade agreements, while also noting a separate account that a recall appeared unlikely at that stage; the reports described possibilities, not a recall that took place.[16]