Marianne Young

Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Read biography

30th November 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Tackling sexual violence in Namibia

My day started early yesterday with a breakfast appearance on national TV’s Good Morning Namibia to discuss violence against women and how to tackle it. I was joined by Rachel Coomer from Namibia’s Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), a local legal NGO, which is helping to spearhead the current ‘16 days of activism’ in Namibia running […]

Read more on Tackling sexual violence in Namibia | Reply (1)

13th November 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

British belles on the beat with the Namibian police

It is always a challenge to give official visitors from London a real taste of how a small embassy is delivering results both internally and externally during a lightning visit. This was the issue faced last week, when the High Commission in Windhoek welcomed the Foreign Office’s Human Resources Director Menna Rawlings, senior Human Resources […]

Read more on British belles on the beat with the Namibian police | Reply (2)

9th November 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Guest blog by Simon Atkinson, Deputy High Commissioner to Namibia, (based in Cape Town)

As you may remember, though I’m based at the Consulate-General in Cape Town, I’m also accredited as the Deputy High Commissioner in Namibia (to support our team there). The historic visit this week by Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba to South Africa presented me with a rare chance to mix the two roles. On Tuesday (6 […]

Read more on Guest blog by Simon Atkinson, Deputy High Commissioner to Namibia, (based in Cape Town) | Reply

29th October 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Discovering memories of Livingstone alive in the depths of Caprivi

Driving through the bush in Caprivi last week, heading for the magical Nkala Lupala conservancy, I passed a sign pointing down a rough track indicating the David Livingstone Museum. I was surprised. Neither the Regional Governor nor the Mayor of the nearby regional capital Katima Mulilo had mentioned the existence of a British-linked attraction despite […]

Read more on Discovering memories of Livingstone alive in the depths of Caprivi | Reply

15th October 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

British support to vulnerable children in Caprivi

I am up in Caprivi this week – the thin finger of land in Namibia’s extreme north east that points into the heart of southern Africa and marks the coming together of Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Angola and Zimbabwe in a tight bunch of border posts. My visit has proven a fantastic learning experience and given […]

Read more on British support to vulnerable children in Caprivi | Reply

13th September 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Triumphant Paralympic home-coming to Namibia

I spent this morning with Grade One pupils at Moses Garoeb School in Katatura today for the last of my Olympic outreach activities following the closure of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was a wonderful way to mark what has been a fun-filled programme of events that have enabled me to interact […]

Read more on Triumphant Paralympic home-coming to Namibia | Reply

7th September 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Namibia brings back gold!

Namibia is celebrating after female paralympic sprinter Johanna Benson won gold in the Women’s T37 200 metres final in London on Wednesday night – marking the first Olympic gold for the country after a remarkable career. Johanna had also picked up a silver medal earlier in the week for coming in second in the women’s […]

Read more on Namibia brings back gold! | Reply (1)

17th August 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Public speaking and championing women in the board room

It is always a rather heart-stopping moment when you arrive at an official function as a diplomat and find you’re billed as a key note guest speaker with no prepared speech to deliver. It happened to me a week into my first African posting in Swaziland. I turned up at a rural event to discover […]

Read more on Public speaking and championing women in the board room | Reply

30th July 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Tributes and tribulations to mark opening of Olympic Games and Olympic Truce in Namibia

Not many people know that the Olympics was historically a period of peace in ancient Greece, when warring factions put down their arms and focussed on competing rather than attacking each other. This ancient Greek tradition of “ekecheiria”: ‘truce’ helped encourage a special environment for the early Games, and ensured safe passage and participation of […]

Read more on Tributes and tribulations to mark opening of Olympic Games and Olympic Truce in Namibia | Reply

23rd July 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Team Namibia Olympic send off to mark the final countdown to London 2012

It has been a whirl of Olympic activities this week in Windhoek – as we enter the final countdown to the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games this Friday – now only 4 days away! I joined members of Team Namibia, made up of the remarkable ‘qualified’ young Namibian sportsmen and women and representatives […]

Read more on Team Namibia Olympic send off to mark the final countdown to London 2012 | Reply (1)

About Marianne Young

Marianne Young is the current British High Commissioner to the Republic of Namibia. She arrived in Windhoek in June 2011 and presented her credentials to the President of the Republic of N...

Marianne Young is the current British High Commissioner to the
Republic of Namibia. She arrived in Windhoek in June 2011 and presented
her credentials to the President of the Republic of Namibia on 3rd
August.
Mrs Young joined the FCO in 2001 following a career in international
journalism, including time spent running an Asian maritime press office
in Singapore and a traineeship on the UK’s Times newspaper.
Her first role in the FCO was as a Press Officer in News Department,
after which she went on to be Head of the Great Lakes Section in Africa
Directorate and then Head of the East Africa & Horn Section.
In 2005, she became the first Head of Communications for the Engaging with the Islamic World Group.
She moved to the British High Commission in Pretoria in February 2007
and served as the Head of the External Political Section and Deputy
High Commissioner to the Kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland.
Mrs Young moved across to the British High Commission in Windhoek in
June 2011, and presented her credentials to the President of the
Republic of Namibia on 3rd August 2011.
On her appointment as British High Commissioner to the Republic of Namibia, Mrs Young said:
“I am honoured and delighted to be appointed Her Majesty’s High
Commissioner to Namibia. I look forward to working to strengthen the
many commercial, political and cultural ties between our two countries,
and to help the many British nationals who holiday there. My family and I
are particularly thrilled to be remaining in southern Africa – and to
have the opportunity to explore this beautiful country further and
discover more about its people and culture.”
Curriculum vitae

Full name:
Marianne Young

Married to:
Barry Young

Children:
Two daughters and one son

 
June 2011
Windhoek, British High Commissioner

2007 – 2011
 
Pretoria, Head of External Political Section and DHC for the Kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland

2005 – 2006
FCO, Head of Communications, Engaging with the Islamic World Group

2004 – 2005
FCO, Head of East Africa & Horn Section, Africa Directorate

3/2003 – 8/2003
FCO, Head of Great Lakes Section, Africa Directorate

2002 – 2003
FCO, Press Officer, Press Office

2001 – 2002
FCO, Departmental Report Editor, Press Office

2001
Joined FCO

2000-2001
Senior Correspondent, Fairplay Group, UK

1995-2000
Staff Editor and then Asia Editor, Fairplay Group Singapore

1994-1995
Graduate Trainee at The Times newspaper, UK

Follow Marianne