Jim Booth OBE Appointed as Director of British Council Japan

Focusing on Cultural Exchange, English Language Education, and Supporting the Globalisation of Youth through Education

The British Council Japan, the UK’s official international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jim Booth as its new Director, effective August 1, 2024. On the same date, Jim Booth also assumed the role of Cultural Counsellor at the British Embassy in Japan.

Jim Booth has more than 20 years of experience in international cultural and educational
exchanges to build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and
countries worldwide. He has been the British Council Director for Japan since August 2024 and lives in Tokyo.

After completing his university studies, Jim joined the British Council in London. His first role worked with universities and international students holding UK scholarships, studying in London and the South East of England. From here Jim moved into managing programme delivery, based both in London and Nepal, from where he led major transformation and change programmes across Europe and in South East Asia. There followed a return to London to take up a senior leadership role managing the transformation of the British Council’s IT and Finance services, including establishing its first global shared services centre in India.

In Islamabad, Pakistan, Jim led the British Council cultural and educational programme which engaged millions of young Pakistanis throughout the country, before then moving to New Delhi, India to take up the role of Chief Operating Officer, overseeing one of the largest operations in the British Council network. Following this, Jim became the Director for Afghanistan, helping the British Council connect with millions of young Afghans through it work. Jim describes this as an incredibly rewarding experience, working with truly inspirational partners and colleagues within a challenging context.

After this, Jim took on a global leadership role to oversee the British Council’s transformation programme, including a focus on the transformation of its cultural and educational work, to recover from the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic. Finally, prior to moving to Japan, Jim had a stint as Regional Business Director Sub-Saharan Africa, based in Kenya, leading the delivery of the British Council’s cultural and education programme portfolio region wide.

Jim was honoured to receive an OBE, presented by King Charles III, awarded for services to UK/Afghanistan cultural relations. In his spare time, Jim enjoys playing the drums, hiking and watching and playing sport – including a self-confessed obsession with cricket.