Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Court of Saint James's

Born on 15.05.1962 in Kyiv.
In 1985 graduated from Taras Shevchenko Kyiv State  University with the degree in International Relations and Translation from English and Romanian. PhD in History.
1985 – Lecturer, Chair of Humanitarian Disciplines, Shevchenko Kyiv State  University;
1985-1988 – Post-graduate student, Chair of International Relations’ History and Foreign Policy, Shevchenko Kyiv State  University;
1988-1992 – Lecturer, Chair of International Relations’ History and Foreign Policy, Institute of International Relations, Shevchenko Kyiv State  University.
1992-1993 – First Secretary, Head of European Policy Sector, Division of Political Analysis and Planning, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;
1993 – acting Head of Division of Political Analysis and Planning, acting Director of Department of Political Analysis and Planning, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;
1993-1997 – Director, Department of Political Analysis and Planning, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
1997-1998 – Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN (Head of Secretariat of the President of 52nd UN General Assembly Meeting); Ambassador at Large.
1998-2000 – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Romania.
2000-2003 – Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, since 2001 - Special Representative of  the President of Ukraine to the Balkan States.
2003-2005 – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Poland.
9 December 2005 - Appointed by the President of Ukraine Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
23 March 2006 - presented his credentials to HM Queen Elizabeth II
19 April 2006 - Appointed by the President of Ukraine Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Maritime Organization.
Diplomatic Rank of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine.
Languages: English, Romanian, Polish
Hobbys: literature, music.
Married, has two daughters.

Dr Yaroslav Voitko is the Head of the Trade and Economic Mission at the Embassy of Ukraine in the UK. He was appointed to this position in September 2006.

A graduate of the Kyiv State Shevchenko University in International Economic Relations and Ph.D. in Economics of the Institute of the USA and Canada, Dr. Voitko started his career as a lecturer in Economics before moving on to the Ministry of the Higher and Secondary Special Education of Ukraine and then Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. From 1992 to 1996 Dr. Voitko worked at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, DC being one of the first Ukrainian diplomats to represent the newly independent Ukraine in the United States. From 1997 through March 1999 he worked as the Head of the Department for Trade and Economic Relations with the Americas at the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine).

In 1999 – 2003 Dr. Voitko worked as Chief of the Trade and Economic Mission of Ukraine at the Embassy of Ukraine to the USA (Washington, DC) promoting trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. In 2003 – 2006 Dr. Voitko worked as Director of the Department of Bilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine in Kyiv. While in office, he has participated in the organisation of dozens of meetings of bilateral commissions on trade and economic cooperation with a number of countries of the world, as well as visits of foreign economic officials to Ukraine and of Ukrainian trade missions abroad.

John Grogan has been Member of Parliament for Selby, North Yorkshire since May 1997, when he was elected as the first ever Labour MP to represent the seat.

Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, John studied at St Michael's School in Leeds before obtaining a place at St John's College, Oxford in 1979 to read for a degree in History and Economics. He graduated three years later and went on to spend a year as the first ever Labour President of the Oxford Student Union.

Prior to being elected John worked as Communications Co-ordinator at the City Council until 1994. He then took up the offer of a job working as the Press Officer for the Labour Party in the European Parliament in Brussels, before going on to run a small business arranging conferences and events.

John was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from 1997 to 2001 and again since the 2005 General Election. He is currently Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Beer, Mongolia, the BBC and is Joint-Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party Health and Social Services Committee. John is also an active member of the All-Party Parliamentary Ukraine Group.

Founding Partner of the Policy Partnership PA Agency

Paddy founded the company in 1993. He started his business career with Hanson plc and was seconded to the Home Office to advise the Rt. Hon Douglas Hurd CBE, then Home Secretary. He returned to Hanson as manager of their public affairs unit until joining one of the UK's leading firms of lobbyists.

Over the years, Paddy has acted as consultant to some of the top companies in the UK and US, such as the Prudential, BT, UPS, and Brooklyn Union, as well as a number of foreign governments including Azerbaijan, Bahrain and Morocco.

He is the non-executive Chairman of Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd, Europe's leading bridge & large steel construction company and chairs the transport committee of the London Chamber of Commerce. He is also active within the Conservative Party. He was elected for two consecutive four-year terms to serve as a councillor in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and held the position of Chairman of Traffic & Highways Committee.

Tamara Demidenko is a promoter/dealer of Ukrainian art in the UK and abroad since 1992 when she established her company Danusha Fine Arts. Prior to this she was a Financial Consultant in the City, then consultant/negotiator on trade agreements between British and then Soviet companies. Tamara holds Masters of Science Degree (Economic Geography) from Kyiv State University, Diploma in Marketing from The Institute of Marketing, London and Master of Business Administration from Clayton University, USA. Tamara is a Ukrainian living in London with her son since 1983.