Kenan Poleo

Kenan Poleo

British Consul General Istanbul
HM Trade Commissioner for Eastern Eu and Central Asia Region

As of 1 September 2021, Mr Kenan Poleo has been appointed Consul General and Trade Commissioner for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in succession to Ms Judith Slater who has been appointed British High Commissioner to Jamaica.

Prior to being appointed to Istanbul, Kenan Poleo was Her Majesty’s Deputy Trade Commissioner for Europe, based in Berlin, Germany.

His previous roles include Head of Global at Innovate UK, supporting business led innovation and international collaboration, and Regional Director for the UK Science and Innovation Network for Europe, Russia and Turkey at the FCDO, also based at the British Embassy in Berlin.

He held numerous senior positions across UK government including Deputy Director of EU Energy and Environmental Legislation, Deputy Director UK Manufacturing Strategy and Assistant Director Chemicals Industry and Civil Contingencies. He was posted to Slovenia as a National Expert during their EU Presidency working on energy and climate change.

Prior to working for the UK Government, Kenan was a practitioner and then manager in the NHS, commissioning services around sexual health, HIV/AIDS, refugee and homelessness health and the health needs of people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities. He studied East Mediterranean History at Birmingham University, followed by an MA in Turkish Studies at London (SOAS) University.

Kenan loves arts and culture, especially food, film and music, and in his spare time he also DJs. He can’t wait to explore the history and culture of Turkey and the region during his time at post, as well as discovering the region’s innovations in science, technology and business.