Ambassador Olivier Guyonvarch

Ambassador Olivier Guyonvarch currently serves as Ambassador of France in Jamaica and Permanent Representative to the International Seabed Authority since October 2021. Born in 1965, he is a career diplomat specializing on China, Asia, the Law of the Sea and Polar affairs.

Ambassador Olivier Guyonvarch started his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France (Quai d’Orsay) in 1996 within the Department of Financial and Budgetary Affairs (1996-1998), and was subsequently appointed Vice-Consul of the Consulate General of France in Wuhan, China. (1998-2001). He returned to Paris to work within the Asia Directorate as Desk Officer (2001-2005). He was then posted to the Embassy of France in Beijing from 2005 to 2008 as the Head of the Press and Communications Section, and later at the Embassy of France in Singapore as Deputy Head of Mission (2008-2012).

On my return to Paris, Ambassador Guyonvarch chose the position of Assistant Director for the Law of the Sea, River Law and Polar Affairs, within the Legal Affairs Department (2012-2016). He returned to Beijing in 2016-2017 as Advisor to the Ambassador on questions of international law and security, and was then appointed as Consul General of France in Wuhan (2017-2021), a period marked by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the city.