Alan Gemmell | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forCentral Ayrshire | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Philippa Whitford |
| Majority | 6,869 (16.6%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1978-04-06)6 April 1978 (age 47) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
Alan GemmellOBE FRSA (born 6 April 1978) is aScottishLabour Party politician and diplomat, who has served as themember of parliament (MP) forCentral Ayrshire since 2024.[1]
He is co-founder of FiveFilms4Freedom and a former director of theBritish Council in India. Gemmel was appointed as Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council in December 2018.[2]
Gemmell attendedIrvine Royal Academy and theRoyal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama's (RSAMD) junior school. He studied piano and trombone at the RSAMD, and toured with theScottish National Youth Orchestra.[3] He read law at theUniversity of Glasgow.[4]
Gemmell worked for thecivil service from 2003 to 2007. He wasprivate secretary to theHome Officepermanent secretary,John Gieve, from 2003 to 2005. He was the Home Office director foreconomic migration from 2005 until 2006, when he became acounter radicalisation advisor in theCabinet Office.[5]
Gemmell has served as director of theBritish Council in India, as well as director for Israel from 2012 to 2016; deputy director for Mexico (2011–2012); in São Paulo, Brazil (2011); and, as director of external relations, London (2008–2011).[6]
He established a university scholarship programme for women in 2018,[7] awarding 100 Indians funding for a one-yearSTEMmaster's degree at British universities.[8][9] He launched the Changing Moves, Changing Minds campaign to promote cricket amongst young girls.[10]
In 2018, he hosted a lunch for tens of thousands to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the British Council in India.[11][12] He also commissionedSarah Eberle to create the firstBritish Council garden at the 2018Chelsea Flower Show its anniversary.[13]
Gemmell signed an agreement with theDelhi government to improve the English-Language skills of over 10,000 young people in the state.[14] Gemmell signed an agreement with the state of Maharashtra to train 30,000 teachers benefiting 1.5 million children across the state.[15] Gemmell secure a partnership with the state of Andhra Pradesh and its chief ministerChandrababu Naidu, to train 100,000 college students.[16] Gemmell signed an agreement witnessesd by Hon'ble Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik to support English teaching across the state and improve the skills of young people in Odisha.[17]
Gemmell has led a focus on Northeast India signing an agreement with theNorth Eastern Council of theMinistry for Development of North Eastern Region of theGovernment of India. The North Eastern Council partnership enabled the British Council to develop new partnership and education programmes across the North East.[18]
Gemmell signed an agreement with the state ofArunachal Pradesh in the presence of Hon'ble Chief MinisterPema Khandu at the Tawang Festival in October 2018 to develop cultural and educational programmes.[19] Gemmell signed an agreement with the Government of Sikkim to develop similar initiatives.[20]
Gemmell was responsible for the 2017 UK-India Year of Culture, a year of cultural exchange announced by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on his November 2015 visit to the UK.[21] British prime minister Theresa May and Indian prime minister Modi referenced the Year of Culture and its unprecedented level of cultural exchange in the Joint Statement to mark the visit of PM Modi to London in April 2018.[22]
Her MajestyThe Queen hosted the official launch of the year on 27 February 2017 atBuckingham Palace with Indian finance ministerArun Jaitley representing Prime Minister Modi. Gemmell worked withthe Palace, British Indian start-up Studio Carrom and 2017 Creative Director Ruth Ur to project a peacock, India's national bird, onto the facade of Buckingham Palace.[23]
The programme for the year was announced by British Council Deputy ChairRt Hon Baroness Prashar CBE PC, UK Minister of State for Digital and Culture Rt HonMatt Hancock and Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom HE Mr Sinha at the British Film Institute on 28 February 2017.[24] The programme includes an exhibition from theBritish Museum and TheChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai,[25] the first exhibition on Indian innovation at the UK'sScience Museum, London,[26] and the restoration of 1928 Indian movie, Shiraz, by theBritish Film Institute with a new score by British-Indian musicianAnoushka Shankar.[27]
Gemmell inaugurated the Year of Culture in India on 6 April 2017 projecting elements of the Buckingham Palace Studio Carrom peacock onto the British Council's Delhi building and launching Mix the City Delhi.[28][29] Gemmell commissioned Mix the City in 2015 working with UK tech start-ups Flying Object and Roll Studio, theBBC and theArts Council of England. Mix the city is the British Council's first interactive art work.[30] For the Year of Culture, Gemmell commissioned Mix the City in India's 4 main cities Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.[31][32] Gemmell launched Mix the City Mumbai[33] in partnership withRolling Stone India[31] at a Music Expo hosted by the UK Government's Department of International Trade on 31 March 2017.[34] He launched Mix the City Northeast in February 2018 at IIT Guwahati's student festival Alcheringa.[35]
In November 2016 Gemmell launched Mix the Play,[36] an interactive digital theatre collaboration with Indian directorRoysten Abel, during the visit of British prime minister Theresa May to India.[37] Mix the Play allows users to directAdil HussainKalki Koechlin, Kriti Pant and Tushar Pandey in the balcony scene ofShakespeare'sRomeo and Juliet.[38] Mix the Play was part of the U.K. Government's commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare.[39] Mix the Play was again developed with Flying Object and Roll Studio.
In October 2017 Gemmell launched Mix the Body,[40] an interactive dance platform with British choreographerWayne McGregor. Mix the Body lets users create a unique dance performance on their mobiles using dancers from McGregor's companyStudio Wayne McGregor and Bangalore-based Attakkalri. Users can set their dance to the music of British composersMax Richter andJon Hopkins.[41] Thus is the third interactive art work created with Flying Object and Roll Studio. The Mix series have been experienced by over 1.5 million people from 200 countries.[42]
In 2015 Gemmell co-foundedfiveFilms4freedom, an online, free, 10-day LGBT film festival promoting freedom, equality and LGBT rights, with theBritish Film Institute and theUN Free & Equal Campaign.[43] The initiative was seen in 135 countries.[44]
The second fiveFilms4freedom ran from 16 to 27 March 2016.[45] The initiative was seen in 179 countries.[46] In 2016 Gemmell also launched a Global List of people promoting LGBT rights.[47][48]
For the fourth fiveFilms4freedom Gemmell developed a partnership with Indian mobile network operatorJio and selected the first Indian short film,Goddess, by director Karishma Dev Dube.[49] 2.8 million people in India viewed the film on Jio's network.[50]
Gemmell secured £7 million from British and international medical research foundations for the BIRAX RMI programme through partnerships withParkinson's UK,JDRF, theMS Society andBritish Heart Foundation.[51] BIRAX RMI has funded 15 research collaborations between scientists in Britain and Israel including a collaboration to develop a breath test forParkinson's disease.[52][53] The BIRAX programme has been supported by the prime ministers of Britain and Israel.[54][55]
Gemmell created the UK's first multi-lateral water research programme in the Middle East – a platform for scientists from across the region to work together with British scientists to tackle critical water issues.[56] Five research projects were announced in April 2016 involving water researchers from Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Gaza, Morocco, Jordan and the UK.[57] Gemmell also created a scholarship programme for water technology and health graduates of Palestinian universities to study full PhDs at Israeli universities.[58]
In 2020, Gemmell was appointed as BritishTrade Commissioner and DeputyHigh Commissioner forSouth Asia.[59]
He was responsible for over 100 employees as trade commissioner, and tasked with increasing UK-India trade.[60] He secured a reduction onScotch whisky duty in the state ofMaharashtra,[61] and co-chaired the UK's second trade policy dialogue withBangladesh.[62]
As deputy high commissioner, Gemmell initiated a joint mission to progress of the trial of a murdered British-Irish citizen inGoa.[63][64] He established an annual commemoration for Percy Norris, the former British High Commissioner toBombay, who was assassinated in the 1980s.[65]
In 2023, Gemmell represented Britain at the inaugural commemoration of the 1942 sinking of theSS Tilawa in India.[66][67] He also met with theMaharashtra state government to discuss loaning IndiaShivaji's 17th century swords.[68]
Gemmell is a member of theLabour Party and their parliamentary candidate forCentral Ayrshire at the2024 general election.[1] He won the seat, gaining it from theScottish National Party.[69]
In theStarmer ministry, Gemmell serves asParliamentary Private Secretary to theSecretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.[70]
In November 2024, Gemmell voted in favour of theTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legaliseassisted suicide.[71]
Gemmell married Damien Lee Stirk, a ballet dancer and teacher, in 2015. Hisbest man was Labour politicianConor McGinn, who mentioned his wedding inParliament in support of marriage equality.[72][73]
Gemmell was appointed OBE in the 2016 New Year Honours List.[74] He is a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Arts and a founding Leadership Fellow ofSt George's House, Windsor Castle.
Gemmell was included on the 2017Financial Times list of Top 20 Public Sector LGBT Executives.[75] He is listed in GQ Magazine's 2016 Most Connected Men in the UK.[76]
Gemmell was included in the 2018Financial Times list of Top 30 Public Sector LGBT Executives.[77][49]
In 2021, Gemmell was awarded anhonorary doctorate by theUniversity of Bolton for his contribution to UK-India trade relations.[78]
In November 2024 Gemmell received an Honorary Doctorate from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha in recognition of the investment and jobs created during his time as British Trade Commissioner and his work to strengthen UK-India relationship.[79]
Gemmell lives in Irvine, a town in the constituency he represents.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCentral Ayrshire 2024–present | Incumbent |
