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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28th August 2019
Skopje, North Macedonia
As much as I enjoy living and working in Skopje, it’s always a great pleasure when I get to visit other places across the country. Last week I had the honour of attending the opening of the Struga Poetry Festival, the world’s oldest consecutive running poetry festival. It was moving to hear poets from around […]
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25th October 2018
Skopje, North Macedonia
This is my first blog as deputy ambassador at the British Embassy here in Skopje, and I want to use it to highlight one of the favourite parts of my job as a British diplomat: the opportunities the British government offer to fund postgraduate study at a UK university. For the past 25 years the UK […]
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24th October 2018
London,UK
One of the most important events of our annual Chevening Scholarships calendar is the orientation day, held on Saturday at the ExCel Centre in London’s Docklands, when new Chevening scholars learnt more about the year that awaited them, had the opportunity to debate key issues from climate change to artificial intelligence, and heard from such […]
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5th September 2018
Hanoi
I’ve only been Ambassador here in Vietnam for a month, but that’s long enough to pick up on the importance of education. As a society with a Confucian history, I can see that study is valued highly, even if things have changed a lot in the millenium since Hanoi’s Temple of Literature first tested scholars against […]
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23rd October 2017
Skopje, North Macedonia
The Chevening programme does not only help its scholars complete their dreams – it offers them the possibility to experience the undreamed. More than financial support, this scholarship gave me a prestigious identity along with many privileges and opportunities. One of them was definitely the exclusive chance to visit 10 Downing Street, the residence and […]
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7th September 2017
Abuja, Nigeria
I took up the Chevening portfolio in September 2015, a decision I have never regretted making. My passion for Chevening is so intense; I’m often asked if I’m an alumnus. Saddled with the task of administering and promoting this programme year-round in Nigeria, I find myself selling an opportunity that I know is absolutely priceless […]
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10th August 2017
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Have you heard about Chevening? It’s the UK’s world-beating scholarship programme for international students. It allows you to study for a Masters degree of your choice at any university in the UK. You do the work, and we cover the costs, including your tuition fees and travel costs. We even pay for your living expenses! […]
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13th April 2017
Kolkata, India
There are many ways of gaining an education. Apart from the usual places like school, college and university, I’m a fan of travel and seeing new places (which partly explains why I became a diplomat). Meeting people who have very different lives can teach you a lot. And for a lucky few, there is all […]
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31st March 2017
Kolkata, India
The cross over point is arriving soon, at some point early in 2021. This is when India becomes the world’s most populous country, according to population projections produced by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, of the United Nations. As of 2015, those in the cohort aged 25-29 years in China were the last […]
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