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Alison Blake

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British diplomat

Her ExcellencyAlison BlakeCMG
Governor of the Falkland Islands
Commissioner for South Georgia and
the South Sandwich Islands
Incumbent
Assumed office
23 July 2022
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
Chief ExecutiveAndy Keeling
Preceded byNigel Phillips
British Ambassador to Afghanistan
In office
2019–2021
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded bySir Nicholas Kay
Succeeded bySir Laurie Bristow
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh
In office
2016–2019
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byRobert Gibson
Succeeded byRobert Chatterton Dickson
Personal details
BornAlison Mary Blake
NationalityBritish citizenship
SpousePeter Henry
Alma materMerton College, Oxford (MA)
OccupationDiplomat

Alison Mary Blake, CMG is a British diplomat who is currently serving as Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. She previously served as High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Ambassador to Afghanistan.

Career

Blake was educated at Roan School for Girls and Merton College, Oxford, where she gained a MA degree in ancient and modern history in 1980. She worked as an archaeologist for the Museum of London, English Heritage and the Greater London Council from 1983 to 1987.

She joined the Ministry of Defence in 1989 and for a period served as assistant private secretary to the Secretary of State for Defence. She left the MOD in 1995 and transferred to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and was at the UK delegation to NATO in Brussels 1996–99; deputy head of the Eastern Adriatic Department at the FCO 1999–2001; at the embassy in Washington, D.C., 2001–05; on secondment to the Cabinet Office as Head of Foreign and Development Policy 2006–07; head of the Conflict Group at the FCO 2007–11; deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan 2011–14. She became High Commissioner to Bangladesh in January 2016 where, in 2017, she received some criticism for apparently lobbying on behalf of British American Tobacco who was at that time in a dispute with the Bangladeshi government over a £170m claim for unpaid VAT brought by the government of Bangladesh against its subsidiary, BATB.

Blake was appointed a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) in the 2018 New Year Honours "for services to British foreign and security policy."

She then moved in May 2019 to become Ambassador to Afghanistan. She was succeeded by Sir Laurie Bristow in June 2021.

In March 2022, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office announced that Blake would be the new Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, succeeding Nigel Phillips in July 2022. She is the first female governor of the islands.

References

  1. Blake, Alison Mary. Who's Who 2018. 1 December 2018. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U285068. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4.
  2. "Change of British High Commissioner to Bangladesh". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 12 October 2015.
  3. Doward, Jamie (10 September 2017). "British diplomat lobbied on behalf of big tobacco". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  4. "No. 62150". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2017. p. N4.
  5. "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Afghanistan – May 2019". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 15 April 2019.
  6. "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Afghanistan: Laurie Bristow". GOV.UK (Press release). Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  7. "Change of Governor of the Falkland Islands: Alison Mary Blake CMG". GOV.UK (Press release). Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  8. "First Woman Governor of the Falkland Islands: Alison Mary Blake CMG". www.mercopress.com (Press release). MercoPress. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded byRobert Gibson British High Commissioner to Bangladesh
2016–2019 		Succeeded byRobert Chatterton Dickson
Preceded byNicholas Kay British Ambassador to Afghanistan
2019–2021 		Succeeded byLaurie Bristow
Political offices
Preceded byNigel Phillips Governor of the Falkland Islands
2022–present 		Incumbent
Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
2022–present
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