Ms Fiona Ritchie
Biography
Fiona Ritchie has been Deputy Head of Mission for the British Embassy Jakarta since August 2026.
Before taking up her role in Jakarta, Fiona served as British High Commissioner to Malawi. Since she joined the civil service in 2002, Fiona has served in a range of roles in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for International Development. In 2020 she served as Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for International Development, and she has also worked in South Sudan, in the UK Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, and in Afghanistan.
Curriculum vitae
Full name: Fiona Eileen Ritchie
| 2021 to June 2022 | Malawi, British High Commission, Development Director |
| 2020 | FCDO, Deputy Director, Review of Independent Commission for Aid Impact |
| 2020 | Department for International Development (DFID), Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for International Development |
| 2019 to 2020 | FCO/DFID, Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Africa |
| 2018 | DFID, Chief of Staff, Office of the Director for West and Southern Africa |
| 2017 to 2018 | DFID South Sudan, Deputy Head and Team Leader Humanitarian and Resilience |
| 2015 to 2017 | DFID South Sudan, Team Leader, Governance, Peacebuilding and Economic Development |
| 2012 to 2015 | New York, First Secretary Development and Human Rights, UK Permanent Representation to the United Nations |
| 2009 to 2012 | DFID, Whitehall Policy Manager & Deputy Group Head, Conflict, Humanitarian and Security Department |
| 2002 to 2009 | DFID, various roles including supporting development programmes in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Assistant Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary |
Deputy Head of Mission to Indonesia and Timor-Leste
The Deputy Head of Mission is a senior diplomat and typically a key advisor to the Ambassador or High Commissioner. The Deputy is responsible for the daily management of an overseas Embassy or High Commission. They will represent the UK’s interests in the absence of the Ambassador as Chargé d’Affaires. A senior ranking Deputy may also take the title Minister. Smaller missions may not have a Deputy Head.
Previous roles in government
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British High Commissioner to Malawi