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
19th May 2017 Vienna, Austria
Boar stories – the aftermath
I blogged recently about my bruising encounter with a Viennese wild boar. Following the blog, I was overwhelmed with ‘get well soon’ messages from well-wishers. Because the story was widely reported, I also received queries on the lines of ‘what’s this blogging all about then?’ and ‘What does an ambassador do when not being chased […]
15th May 2017 Geneva, Switzerland
Who Will Lead The World On Health?
In less than two weeks the world will come together to choose a new leader for the international agency responsible for global health issues, from eradicating polio to fighting Ebola. The World Health Assembly, which represents all the nations of the world, will meet at the end of May to elect a new Director General […]
15th May 2017 Vienna, Austria
An encounter with a Viennese wild boar
Climbing through the woods after a cloudburst, I follow the path around a corner to find myself confronting a group of wild boar – four or five hulking adults and countless piglets – known, charmingly, as Frischlinge in German. I am closer to them than either they, or I, would wish. I turn and walk slowly away, avoiding sudden movements. Moments later I hear a noise […]
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15th May 2017
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Loch Ewe
Commemorating the heroic sacrifice of the veterans of the Arctic Convoys of World War Two has been an important part of my role in St Petersburg over the past four years. I was delighted and honoured to be invited to participate in special events at Loch Ewe in remote North Western Scotland on 6-7 May […]
15th May 2017 Canberra, Australia
Keeping my head above water: the first six months of being a new working mum
It all started in a cafe in Montmarte, Paris. My husband and I were enjoying a drink when I noticed a father sitting with his daughters. He’d ordered two glasses of wine and set the girls up with iPads. Then, clearly straight from the office, arrived a woman to greet her family. I didn’t know […]
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11th May 2017 Mogadishu, Somalia
Somali Women: The Roadmap to real participation/ new approach
The 2016 Somali Parliamentary election marked a new milestone for Somali women. Although the conversation about ‘Elevating Women in Political Participation and Leadership roles’ has been going on for some time, this had never been embodied in the manner it is in the current Parliament. Many Somalis championed, participated in and spent a lot of […]
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10th May 2017 Vienna, Austria
Contact lenses, smart phones, violins, Tribology and you
I’m presenting a world-famous Austrian scientist with a gold medal for scientific achievement. His family are present, bursting with pride, along with other world-class Austrian and German scientists. Yet until I was asked to present the medal, I had never heard of the scientific discipline of Tribology. One of the joys and challenges of being […]
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9th May 2017 Chennai, India
Innovation Birmingham
In March, I had the absolute delight of visiting India for the first time in my life and the whole week was an adventure, both personally and commercially. Experiencing the Indian way of life, the hospitality and incredible proactivity to doing business were all eye-opening, as was the traffic! I help run Innovation Birmingham, the […]
8th May 2017 Stockholm, Sweden
Will this year’s Eurovision in Ukraine spread “a little peace”?
“Yeeeeesssss”! That was my ecstatic 1:30am tweet on seeing Ukrainian entry Jamala win Eurovision 2016. Not only was I delighted for Jamala, but also Ukraine. After 3 years of conflict and crisis, Eurovision now offered Ukraine the opportunity to show another face to a global audience of more than 200 million viewers. For many, Eurovision […]
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5th May 2017 Vienna, Austria
Zika mosquitoes and tsetse flies in Austria: how IAEA is fighting disease and malnutrition
Hundreds of anopheles mosquitoes are drinking warm blood. Nearby, thousands of fruit fly larvae are tucking into a tasty compote of fruit, writhing, munching and even, alarmingly, jumping in the air. In another part of the lab tsetse flies – hardest to breed – sit solemnly in mesh containers, from which they too can drink […]
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