Paul Dimond was born on 30 December 1944, the younger son of Cyril James Dimond and Dorothy Mabel Louisa Hobbs (née Knight). He was educated at St Olave’s and St Saviour’s Grammar School for Boys, Bermondsey [London]. In 1965 he married Carolyn Susan Davis-Mees, elder daughter of Dennis Charles Mees and of Eileen Lilian (née Barratt), having two sons.

After a year at British Bakeries Limited, 1962–63, Dimond joined the Foreign Office in 1963 and his diplomatic career included: Foreign Office, 1963–65; Diplomatic Service Administration 1965–66; Japanese language student, Tokyo, 1966–68; Vice-Consul (Commercial), 1968–70, Consul (Commercial), 1970–72, Osaka; Second Secretary (Commercial), Tokyo, 1972–73; seconded to the Department of Trade as assistant to the Special Adviser on the Japanese Market, British Overseas Trade Board, 1973–75; Energy Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1975–76; First Secretary (Economic), Stockholm [Sweden], 1977–80; West Africa Department, FCO, 1980–81; First Secretary (Commercial), Tokyo, 1981–86; Far Eastern Department, FCO, 1986–88; seconded to Smiths Industries plc as Strategic Marketing Adviser, Smiths Industries Medical Systems, 1988–89; Commercial Counsellor, Tokyo, 1989–93; Deputy Head of Mission, The Hague [Netherlands], 1994–97; Consul-General, Los Angeles [United States], 1997–2001; Ambassador to the Philippines, 2002–04; Outplacement Adviser, FCO, 2006–16.