Ben Headon on Serving as the New Vice Consul General of Ireland: ‘It’s a Remarkable Privilege’
Most diplomats follow a relatively straightforward career path, completing a master’s degree, entering the foreign service in their mid-twenties, and traversing the world through a series of postings within government. Ben Headon, who in August began his term of service as Vice Consul General of Ireland in the Midwest, is not most diplomats. Instead, he followed the road less traveled in his career journey.
“I certainly did not fit the mold of a typical applicant for the foreign service,” Headon shared in his first public interview with the Irish American News since being appointed to his position. “In fact, I had originally applied for the foreign service to sharpen my interview skills and give me insight into how the government runs its recruitment. Then, as the process continued, I had what I call a ‘park bench moment’ when I came to the realization that this was something I could do, and I didn’t want to look back at age 65 and regret not trying it.”
Try he did, and before long, the government of Ireland shipped Headon off to Islamabad and asked him with helping to open up the Irish mission in Pakistan in early 2024.
Headon’s journey to join the foreign service might be as interesting as the roles that he has taken on in his short time with the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Born in Raheny, the historic coastal suburb on the north side of Dublin, Headon enjoyed what he calls a “very normal, middle-class” childhood, growing up as the younger of two boys to his parents, who both worked. Headon matriculated at University College Dublin, including a year spent at the University of Verona in Italy as part of the Erasmus Programme, before beginning his career at Ulster Bank in Dublin.
“I had no clear idea to work at a bank,” Headon admitted. “I had a referral from a friend for the position, so I accepted a position and ended up loving it. My first job was to lend money to builders and developers, and this was during an incredibly exciting time in Ireland.”
While the Irish building boom ultimately ended unceremoniously in subsequent years, Headon’s career at Ulster Bank continued, as he took on a role with financial markets sales, where he spent most of his time on the road meeting with business owners.
In his final role at the bank, Headon served as business manager for the managing director of commercial banking, which provided him insight into the inner workings of how a bank is run; this experience in human resources, governance, communications, and other business operations would prove invaluable when he was tasked with helping to stand up Ireland’s mission in Pakistan.
When Ulster Bank ultimately closed – to much fanfare in the Irish media – most of Headon’s colleagues lined up positions at other banks. For him, the bank’s closure led his “park bench moment.”
“I realized that now was the time if I wanted to spend time away from Ireland. I was single, and both of my parents were deceased, so I had no family obligations.”
On the advice of a friend who told him to “go for it,” Headon interviewed and was accepted into the foreign service in 2023. He began his first assignment on the United States and Canada desk the same month that then-President Joe Biden was visiting Ireland, and soon enough would be traveling to Chicago for meetings related to the government’s new diaspora strategy with then-Consul General Kevin Byrne and helping with the Aer Lingus Football Classic in Dublin.
His time spent in the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Dublin headquarters was short-lived, however, as in the fall of 2023, Headon put in for a foreign posting, famously – or infamously – saying that “he would go anywhere in the world on short notice.”
“Anywhere in the world” turned out to be Islamabad, where by February of 2024, he was part of a small team of Irish diplomats charged with opening the government’s home in Pakistan.
Headon would spend two-and-a-half years in Pakistan, strengthening the ties between the country and Ireland; ties that had actually been building over the course of the last two centuries, from the Irish who had come to Pakistan during the time of the British Empire and those Irish priests and nuns who had set up and run convent schools across the country. Likewise, the Irish Health Service employes scores of Pakistani doctors, and trade links between the two countries continue to grow.
While much of Headon’s work in Pakistan was operational – opening bank accounts, managing recruitment processes, and setting up protocols with the host government – he also had the chance to participate in several diplomatic events that, as he said, “showed the best of Ireland in Islamabad.”
Outside of his professional duties, Headon’s time in Pakistan marked the first time he had traveled to Asia and the first time he lived outside Ireland since his time as a student in Italy.
“I didn’t know what the culture change would be like for me, but overall my time in Pakistan was very positive. It was such a different environment and got me out of my comfort zone. It was certainly humbling to learn a new culture.”
By 2026, Headon’s time in Pakistan was drawing to a close, and he had a clear first choice for his next preferred posting: Chicago.
“I had been to the US on holiday many times, including to Chicago. My first trip here was in 2003, when I came to watch the US Open golf tournament at Olympia Fields Country Club. My brother works for Northern Trust in Ireland, so he gets back to their corporate headquarters in Chicago regularly. It just made sense to preference Chicago.”
Headon’s whirlwind continued, as he officially moved across the world to settle in Chicago in August, just in time to participate in the Milwaukee Irish Fest and speak at the Irish Fellowship Club’s 125th anniversary celebration, among a series of engagements that he set up in partnership with Acting Consul General Padraig Manning and the consulate staff.
Looking ahead to his term of service as Vice Consul, Headon is quick to acknowledge that he is building on the work of those who came before him over the course of the 90 years of the Irish government’s presence in Chicago. He points to the Irish government’s new diaspora strategy and sees culture, sport, and trade, as three interesting areas to build existing relationships. He also emphasizes the consulate’s “Team Ireland” approach, where he and his colleagues can collaborate with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland from Ireland House overlooking Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River.
In his short time here, Headon has already experienced a hint of the rich, layered, and dynamic Irish communities in Chicago and the Midwest.
“Listening to stories of Irish and Irish Americans here, it becomes apparent that the first time that members of Irish families came to US, it was very difficult for them, whether it was during Famine in the mid-1800s or really all the way up to the 1980s. That’s become clearer to me. I see what America gave them – a future for their families. Immigrants came to build a life for their families here.”
Reflecting on his time in Pakistan, Headon shared one word that summarized his emotions about his tenure there: privilege. He returned to that theme when describing his outlook on his time in Chicago.
“This career is a remarkable privilege. It is humbling to represent your country in so many ways. Personally, interesting opportunities come up every day, as I get to follow new sports teams, try new restaurants, and meet new people. Professionally, I get to continue the legacy of so many who have come before me. Above all, I know that I can only do what I do because we’ve been trusted and asked to represent Ireland overseas. That’s a very meaningful thing for me. Every day I get to do this is a very lucky day.”
Ben Headon is the New Vice Consul General of Ireland in Chicago
