Martin Raven has been the British Consul General in São Paulo and Director of Trade and Investment in Brazil since November 2006.

Born in Manchester in 1954. Married Philippa Ruddick in 1978. Has two grown-up children. Educated at Bury Grammar School, near Manchester. Graduated from Sussex University in 1976. Entered the diplomatic service in 1976. Took over as Third Secretary in Lagos (Nigeria) in 1978. Later, took the same position in India (New Delhi), moving up to Second Secretary in 1980. Between 1983 and 1988 worked at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. In 1988 was appointed First Secretary in New York at the UK Mission to the United Nations, with responsibility for human rights.

Returning to the FCO in 1993, became Deputy Head of the South Atlantic and Antarctic Department. Promoted to Counsellor in 1996 as Head of the Drug and Crime Department. In 1998 was appointed Deputy Head of Mission in Stockholm (Sweden) and returned to London in 2001 to take on the job of Director for the Service Industries at UK Trade & Investment.