20th September 2019
Beirut, Lebanon
This time last year was one of the highlights of my career – presenting Queen Elizabeth’s letter to President Aoun that nominated me as Ambassador. The anniversary has allowed reflection on the year: for Lebanon, and for the UK. My first 12 months in Lebanon has been remarkable. Rolls Royce and MEA signed our largest […]
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10th May 2018
Abuja, Nigeria
Moving from Kigali to Lagos last year, I expected a pretty jarring experience. I was going from a country of 12 million to a city of 22 million, from one of the world’s most pristine, orderly, safe places to what I expected to be, well, pretty loud and chaotic. And in many ways, Lagos did […]
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3rd October 2017
Tokyo, Japan
Hosting the Tokyo launch of Peppa Pig last week made a nice change from giving speeches about Brexit and worrying about North Korean missile tests. The hugely popular British cartoon character which has been a favourite with children around the world, since its inception in 2004 has finally come to Japan. The Japanese with their […]
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10th February 2017
Beijing
“By 2030 China’s urbanisation rate will have increased from 56% to 70%.” On the face of it the projection doesn’t look that alarming. Yet what it means is another 200 million people moving from the countryside to cities. What has been called history’s largest human migration began in the late 1970s with Deng Xiaoping’s reform […]
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23rd November 2015
Skopje, North Macedonia
Establishment of business inclusion project in multi-ethnic communities is designed to help potential entrepreneurs start up their companies and helps them survive their critical period with a combination of suitable mentoring courses. The project is supported by the British Embassy and implemented by Strategic Development Consulting – Skopje. At the beginning of the project implementation, […]
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28th October 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I attended earlier this month in Bucharest a conference entitled “TTIP: Romania’s Voice”. It was organised by a Romanian member of the European Parliament named Sorin Moisa, and incorporated the outcome of an interesting national consultation exercise sounding out the views of Romanian businesses towards TTIP. It also provided the opportunity to listen to an […]
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15th May 2014
Washington DC, USA
May is World Trade Month: a time to recognize the benefits of international trade and its impact on our everyday lives. That got me thinking about my own personal history and how it has been shaped and moulded by international trade. My grandfather first came to Pennsylvania from England as a child refugee of WWII. […]
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30th April 2014
Washington DC, USA
At the end of March I joined other members of the British Embassy in American University’s Race to Representation, a 5k run organised by the Women and Politics Institute in Washington. The annual race (now in its third year) helps raise awareness of the gender gap in political leadership in the US, while the mission […]
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4th April 2014
USA
When I was growing up, I remember hearing stories about the mass pilgrimages that people made to Liverpool in the hopes of hearing the Beatles play live. Although Beatlemania has just celebrated its 50 year anniversary, (is there now One Direction mania?), Liverpool still attracts millions of tourists who want to experience the city’s multiple […]
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28th March 2014
USA
There: I thought that would draw you in. What does it have to do with the UK economy though? Well, last week, the UK Chancellor presented the Government’s 2014 Budget. The annual Budget report and statement in Parliament offers an opportunity to take stock of the economic outlook and public finances, while making some policy […]
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