At home with the British High Commissioner

We chat with NIK MEHTA about his work as British High Commissioner to Singapore, and about Eden Hall, the official residence where he lives with his wife Anna, two children and Leia the dog.

Where are you from originally? What do you miss about it?

I’m from northwest London. My parents were brought up in East Africa, in Kenya and Uganda – in fact, my mother was forced out of Uganda by Idi Amin’s forces in the 1970s. Originally, my great grandparents came from the northwest Indian state of Gujarat.

I’m a really proud Londoner. I’m biased, of course, but I think it’s the best city in the world! There are not many places that are more diverse than Singapore, but I think London is one of them. I love that in any part of London you can get incredible food, and its arts, culture and sports scenes are world-class. I don’t miss the hour-long commute into town, but I miss my friends and family. The nature of a diplomatic role is that you go through periods when you don’t see your friends and family very much, which can be difficult.

Anna grew up in Queensland, Australia, so she’s right at home in sunny Singapore.

What brought you to Singapore, and where had you been living previously?

We are a diplomatic family on a four-year posting to Singapore. As a family, this is our fourth posting, but Anna and I have also lived in Japan. My first posting was to Iraq, and as a couple and then later a family, we’ve been posted to Uganda, Malaysia and, most recently, South Korea.

Tell us a bit about your role as the British High Commissioner to Singapore.

I started in the role in July 2024, overseeing the diplomatic relationship between the UK and Singapore. This covers all manner of things, including trade and investment, our political relationship, the work that we do on science, technology and innovation, and our joint efforts on addressing climate change. We also focus on supporting British arts, culture and our fantastic education partnership.

It is the most brilliant job, and I feel very lucky to be able to do it. Anna also gets involved in supporting some of our activities, but she will tell every partner that it’s important to have their own thing as well, whether that’s work, volunteering, or a hobby or passion. Anna does some part-time teaching at the British Council and volunteering, but she’d probably also tell you that being my wife is a job in itself!

What’s your favourite aspect of your work?

I’ve had a number of different diplomatic positions overseas – I was in political roles in Iraq, Uganda and Malaysia; and in my last posting in South Korea I was the Deputy British Ambassador. But of all my roles, being the British High Commissioner to Singapore is genuinely the best job that I’ve done in my entire career. I love the diversity of every single day. I work with the most inspiring people, both outside of the high commission and with our brilliant staff here. I love the fact that we strive to do our best to support the UK-Singapore partnership every day.

What inspired you to pursue a career in diplomacy?

I didn’t know anything about diplomacy when I was growing up – it just wasn’t a conversation that we had around our dinner table. I heard about this career path through a friend of mine, as a job that will take you around the world, but also where you get to have an impact on international news stories. I’ve always been interested in foreign policy – I was an avid follower of the news as I was growing up.

It sounds cliché to say this, but I’ve been in this business for almost 24 years because I believe passionately in what we try to do to make the world safer and more prosperous.

What are some characteristics or qualities you feel are important for the job?

The first one is agility; no two days are the same, so being able to jump from one thing to another is really important. The second quality is resilience: there are lots of ups and (a few) downs in the life of a High Commissioner, and you’ve got to endure some challenging moments.

The third is energy and endurance. As a job it’s allencompassing and quite often I attend events five or six nights a week. So, maintaining high energy levels to deal with all the things that are coming my way is important.

Any particular surprises or challenges you’ve found living and working in Singapore?

I was surprised at how many representational events come with the job! The busy schedule can be a challenge – hats off to Singaporean ministers and officials who often do long, long days, because it’s certainly not easy. But 18 months into being here, I’m definitely more used to it and can manage that effectively. I think many people may find the heat a challenge, but having lived in Malaysia for four years, I was looking forward to the warmth and humidity of Singapore.

You live in this amazing home – Eden Hall; please tell us more about it and what you love about it.

It is the most enormous privilege to be living in Eden Hall, a house that’s been around for over 120 years and has seen some incredible moments in history involving the people that are responsible for the success of modern Singapore, including Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Anna and I try as much as possible to share the history of the house, because in many respects, it matches the history of Singapore itself.

We’ve done a lot to both understand how the house has been used over those 120 years, but also to meet the descendants of the people that have lived here to hear about their experiences. Anna is on a bit of a mission to collate a detailed history of the house; every time she thinks she’s done, she uncovers something else.

Eden Hall has undergone two renovations in our 18 months here, and it’s in wonderful shape. We have around 300 people visiting the house most weeks for events. It might surprise people to know that the house is available for organisations and businesses to use as a venue space to promote the relationship between the UK and Singapore. It’s such a pleasure to open up such an iconic location to some of our brilliant companies that are here.

What are a few things you like to do in Singapore when you’re not working?

Anyone that I’ve met over the last 18 months will know that I’m a huge Liverpool fan – it is my life’s passion to be a supporter of this amazing club. I try not to miss a game. I also enjoy playing football – I try to play as often as possible. We have a British High Commission football team, which they even allow old timers like me to occasionally turn out for. I also love learning about the history of Singapore and the region. I love the museums here, too. Only a couple of weeks ago, I went to see the brilliant Albatross File exhibition at the National Library, which, if you haven’t seen it before, I would highly recommend.

Anna and I share a passion for exploring the flora and fauna of Singapore. There’s nothing better than sitting out on the veranda of Eden Hall with a cup of coffee and watching the amazing bird life that we have. I was so excited to learn about the otters in Singapore – but I think I’m an otter repellent! During my entire time in Singapore, and despite going weekly to the Botanic Gardens and multiple nature reserves, I’ve only seen them twice. It’s hard not to get FOMO when Anna or friends send me photos of their (much more frequent) sightings!

What are you looking forward to most in 2026?

2025 marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UK and Singapore, and the celebrations we held shone the most incredible spotlight on our bilateral relationship. I feel so proud of what we did to highlight the uniqueness of this partnership but also set the ambition for the future. We’ve had events such as GREAT in the Gardens with Katherine Jenkins singing with the Tanglin Symphony Orchestra last March, the visit by our aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in June, and then, of course, the royal visit of the Princess Royal last November.

The UK-Singapore relationship is unique – not just our history but also the modern partnership we have, with so many Singaporeans having connections in the UK – and it provides a great platform to build bridges between communities. I am excited to build on these foundations this year. I’m hopeful that we’ll have a meeting between our two leaders before too long, and I think that we will make real progress in driving our trade and investment relationship forward and becoming even closer partners on defence, security and climate action.

Quick questions about Singapore: what is your favourite …

Local food? I love black carrot cake and also South Indian dosa. If I had to have one last meal in Singapore, it would probably be in Little India.

Nature space? We are very fortunate that we live close to the Botanic Gardens; it’s the most remarkable place. No two visits, even in the same day, are the same.

Thing to do with visitors? Everyone laughs at us for taking visitors to Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre. It’s such a buzzing place and, of course, the architecture and the ironwork there is all from the UK.

Nearby holiday destination? I first visited Vietnam 26 years ago and it’s still one of my favourite countries in the world. It’s got everything from history to food to culture and landscapes to explore. Thailand has got a special place in our hearts as well. This is a pretty wonderful part of the world, isn’t it?

Eden Hall, the official residence of the British High Commissioner, is the perfect setting for exceptional occasions. To contact the British High Commission about using Eden Hall, email  Singapore.HCOffice@fcdo.gov.uk.

This article first appeared in The May 2026 Expat Living magazine. You can buy the latest issue or an annual subscription or read the digital version free now.

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