Alison Blake

Alison Blake CMG (1980) joined the Civil Service in 1989, working first in the Ministry of Defence before transferring to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 1996. Along with postings in London, including at the Cabinet Office, she has served overseas at NATO, in Washington DC; in Islamabad as Deputy High Commissioner; in Dhaka, Bangladesh as High Commissioner; and as British Ambassador to Afghanistan – a position she held from May 2019 to June 2021.

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