Jo McPhail

Biography

Ms Jo McPhail was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Djibouti and UK Representative to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and opened the first British Embassy in Djibouti, in March 2021. Prior to her service as Ambassador in Djibouti, she worked as Silver Operations Manager, repatriating UK nationals stranded overseas due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Ms McPhail was Head of Talent, Performance, Diversity and Leadership at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office between 2018 and 2020. Having joined the Diplomatic Service in 1990, she has served overseas in The Netherlands, The Gambia and Russia. She was responsible for running the UK global overseas passport hubs between 2010 and 2014, including transitioning all services to HM Passport Office in UK in 2014. Diplomatic roles in London have been focused on multilateral work, including UN peacekeeping, and on Africa.

Ms McPhail is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and has carried out a number of key roles in Strategic HR and major change projects within the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. She is an expert in organisational culture.

Find out more about Jo McPhail.

Previous roles in government

  • British Ambassador to Djibouti
    • 2021 to 2023