In a first, UK govt appoints female envoy to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Ms Jane Marriott, OBE, has been officially appointed as the new High Commissioner of the United Kingdom for Pakistan, making her the first female envoy to hold this position. Scheduled to assume her role in mid-July, Jane Marriott will bring her expertise and passion for addressing climate change, among other areas, to her new post.

Jane Marriott takes over the position from Christian Turner, who has already commenced his new assignment in the British capital after his tenure in Islamabad. Jane Marriott’s extensive experience includes working with the late renowned US diplomat Richard Holbrooke on Afghanistan, demonstrating her familiarity with the region.

Prior to this appointment, she served as the High Commissioner to Kenya from September 2019 to June 2023. With a remarkable background in both thematic and regional affairs, Jane Marriott joined the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in 2001.

Throughout her career, she held various significant positions, including Director of the UK’s Joint International Counter-Terrorism Unit, Joint FCDO Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Ambassador to Sanaa, Yemen (2013-15), Deputy and Acting Ambassador to Tehran, and adviser to the US Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke. Moreover, she completed diplomatic postings in Iraq and Afghanistan.