British Council Viet Nam. James Shipton is the newly appointed country director for the British Council in Viet Nam, bringing almost 40 years of extensive international experience in English language teaching, education management and business strategy. His career has spanned numerous roles across the globe, with significant positions within the British Council including, most recently, regional director for examination services, MENA; CEO of the British Council subsidiary in India and head IELTS overseeing the British Council IELTS operations globally. James has a particular professional interest in “cultures of learning” which combines this wide international experience with his MA in social anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. “I am thrilled to be joining the British Council team in Viet Nam.” James said. “The strength, range and genuine warmth of our partnerships here have really impressed me since I arrived, and I look forward to developing these further over the coming years.”