Dame Menna Rawlings DCMG CVO
Biography
Dame Menna Rawlings was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the French Republic in August 2021.
Previously Menna was the Director-General Economic and Global Issues at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) from March 2019 until August 2020. In this role, she had responsibility for Global Britain, Asia Pacific, Americas, Africa, Overseas Territories, Commonwealth and Economic Diplomacy. She was also Board-level Diversity and Inclusion champion for the FCO.
Menna joined the FCO in 1989 and has served in a wide range of Diplomatic Service roles. She was most recently British High Commissioner to Australia from April 2015 to February 2019. Overseas, she has served in Washington DC, Accra, Tel Aviv, Nairobi and Brussels. In London she has served on the FCO Management Board as HR Director, as Private Secretary to the Permanent Under Secretary, in Press Office and in Africa and EU Directorates.
Menna holds a BSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and an MBA from the Open University. She was awarded the DCMG in 2022, and the CVO during the State Visit to France in 2023.
British Ambassador to France
The Ambassador represents His Majesty The King and the UK government in the country to which they are appointed. They are responsible for the direction and work of the Embassy and its Consulates, including political work, trade and investment, press and cultural relations and consular services.
Previous roles in government
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Director General, Economic and Global Issues
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British High Commissioner to Australia