Patrick Joseph McGuinness CMG OBE (born 27 April 1963) is a British civil servant who is currently the Deputy National Security Adviser for Intelligence, Security, and Resilience at the Cabinet Office, since 2014.
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Early life
Born in Oxford to Professors Rosamond Ziegler and Brian McGuinness, McGuinness went to Ampleforth College and then to Balliol College, Oxford where he took a BA in modern history.
Career
McGuinness joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1985. His first overseas posting was as Second Secretary in Sana'a in Yemen from 1988 to 1991. After that, he served as First Secretary in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates from 1994–1996, and then as Counsellor in Cairo, Egypt from 1996–1999 and in Rome from 2003–2006.
McGuinness was appointed the Deputy National Security Adviser for Intelligence, Security, and Resilience at the Cabinet Office, since 2014, taking over from Oliver Robbins. He works for the National Security Advisor, currently Sir Mark Lyall Grant and previously Sir Kim Darroch, alongside the other Deputy National Security Advisers, currently Gwyn Jenkins for Conflict, Stability & Defence.
Awards
McGuinness was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1997, and a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 2014.