Andrew Jacobs

Andrew Jacobs is a former European Union Ambassador with over thirty years’ experience in diplomacy and international cooperation. He held posts as Ambassador to Timor-Leste and Ambassador to the Pacific. In the latter role he was based in Fiji and was accredited to eleven Pacific island countries. As EU Ambassador to Timor-Leste he followed closely that country’s progress towards ASEAN Membership.

Andrew has worked extensively with different ASEAN Member States, in addition to Timor-Leste, both as a Brussels-based EU official with responsibilities for cooperation with South-East Asia and as Head of Cooperation in the EU Delegations in both Vietnam and Thailand. Posted in Bangkok he managed cooperation with Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, as well as with Thailand. He also has experience of working with the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, and of facilitating cooperation among European and ASEAN companies, in particular SMEs, through the use of various EU initiatives.

In addition to working with Asia and the Pacific, Andrew has also held management positions in Brussels covering cooperation with North Africa and the Middle East, and with Latin America. He also worked with several countries in the Balkans, in particular Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In the light of the huge potential for increased collaboration between ASEAN and EU private sectors and for ASEAN investment in Europe, Andrew is committed to promoting awareness of opportunities, and to helping companies and other organisations to take full advantage of these. He is honoured to be a member of the ASEANcham-EU Advisory Board at a time of ASEAN expansion and enhanced prospects for business.