KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 28): David Wallace has been appointed as acting British High Commissioner to Malaysia, following the departure of Ailsa Terry, who has returned to London to be the prime minister’s private secretary for foreign affairs.

Prior to this, Wallace has been serving as the Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia since July 2022.

“He is now the Charge d’Affaires until a new High Commissioner arrives in Malaysia some time in 2025,” the British High Commission said in a statement on Wednesday.

The commission added that in his 22-year diplomatic career, Wallace has covered a range of political, economic and security roles, focused in central Europe and East Asia. Prior to Kuala Lumpur, Wallace was previously posted to Berlin, Warsaw, Seoul and Baghdad. In the Foreign Office head office, he has worked on sanctions and counter proliferation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On his new role, Wallace said: “The UK and Malaysia share strong historical ties and deep people-to-people links. I want to build on this and develop a modern partnership based around many shared interests”.

“The UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will be a milestone in our bilateral relationship. By the time CPTPP enters into force in December this year, both our countries [will be] set to benefit from the first ever free trade agreement, giving bilateral trade and economic growth a major boost,” he said.

He added that the UK also looks forward to working with Malaysia on issues affecting regional security, stability and prosperity, especially during the Malaysian chairmanship of Asean in 2025.

Wallace, who hails from Edinburgh, Scotland, has a BA (Hons) in Philosophy and an MA in International Economics.