2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
14th October 2025
Lost and Found (but mostly lost)
13th October 2025
UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls: September visits to Sarajevo and New York
22nd February 2018 Calgary, Canada
Hashtag Days: Women in Action
These days it seems every day is marked by a hashtag of some sort. Just last week we marked International Day of Women and Girls in Science (#WomeninScience) and on 6 February we marked the 100th anniversary of the British ‘Representation of People Act 1918’ (#Vote100) which first gave (some) women the right to vote. […]
22nd February 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
Disability inclusion begins with You and I
I recently organised a targeted Chevening Scholarship application workshop for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Chevening is a holistic UK government funded scheme that prepares talented individuals for the future leadership of Nigeria, through a cultural exchange and master’s degree programme in the UK. The workshop was hosted in collaboration with the Christian Blind Mission (CBM) […]
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22nd February 2018 Vienna, Austria
What is Wassenaar? And why does it matter?
A terrorist organisation tries to buy military technology from Country A. But Country A refuses to sell. What is to stop the organisation from going to Country B and buying there? Welcome to the world of multilateral export control regimes. If you don’t know much about export control regimes, don’t worry: not many people do. […]
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21st February 2018 Science Innovation USA
Utility 2050 and SIN address the future of clean power
The UK has ambitious plans to become a leader in clean energy, relying on low-carbon resources to power society. Delivering these plans will require buy-in from numerous stakeholders—industry, consumers, government—all of whom are asking the question: what would a UK clean energy sector look like? The UK Science & Innovation Network (SIN) is helping to […]
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20th February 2018 Montreal, Canada
What happens when Canadian and UK AI experts gather ? A four-day programme in the UK
There are over 100 Artificial Intelligence (AI) startups and more than 250 AI and Machine Learning (ML) scientists based in Montreal. It is no surprise then that this popular city has become a global powerhouse for AI R&D and entrepreneurship. Following Montreal’s four-day programme in October, I in collaboration with UK partners[1] organised an AI […]
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18th February 2018 Hanoi, Vietnam
Year of the Dog – Day of the Pangolin
The lunar new year is here. And along with everyone else in Vietnam, I’m celebrating the start of the Year of the Dog. But I’m also thinking this week about another more exotic animal. 17 February is World Pangolin day. And pangolins, whether in Vietnam or elsewhere, badly need our help. Some INGOs estimate that […]
16th February 2018 Vienna, Austria
Mozart and Fintech
The room is crammed with over 40 financial services companies. In the next few hours, 27 British Fintech companies and 15 Austrian financial institutions will hold over 120 meetings to explore business opportunities. Why did this event work so well? The UK hosts the world’s strongest Fintech ecosystem, closely followed by California and New York. […]
15th February 2018 Melbourne, Australia
Ten Pound Poms: exploring Melbourne’s museum exhibition
My last weekend started in great style on Friday evening at Melbourne’s Immigration Museum, where I joined hundreds of Melburnians for an evening of 60s and 70s British music, fish and chips and even sneaked in a summer Pimms… The vibrance of the 60s was recreated by the band Marshmallow Undercoat who paid tribute to […]
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15th February 2018 Vientiane, Laos
The world’s most trafficked mammal
World Pangolin Day takes place on 17 February. The plight of these magnificent small scaly anteaters is often dwarfed by the illegal trafficking of ivory, rhino horn and wild cats, but their existence is in danger.
8th February 2018
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
100 Years of Votes for Women
The staff of the British embassy in Bucharest gathered this week beside a large flag with three horizontal stripes: purple, white and green. What was this about? One hundred years ago this week Royal Assent was received for the 1918 Representation of the People Act, an important milestone in women’s suffrage in Britain and one […]