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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
THE United Kingdom has appointed a new Ambassador to Zimbabwe to replace Ms Catriona Laing in January next year.
In a statement yesterday, the UK Government confirmed Ms Melanie Robinson’s appointment as its country’s new Ambassador to Zimbabwe from January 2019.
“Ms Melanie Robinson has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Zimbabwe in succession to Ms Catriona Laing CB who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Ms Robinson will take up her appointment in January 2019,” said the UK Government. Ms Laing, who has played a pivotal role in the country’s re-engagement with Britain, has been Ambassador to Zimbabwe since 2014. The UK Government described Ms Robinson as a married mother of two with vast experience in the diplomatic service.
In her detailed curriculum vitae, the UK Government said Ms Robinson has been serving as the Executive Director for the UK in the World Bank Group in Washington since 2015.
It said from 2012 to 2015, she served in the Department for International Development (DFID) Addis Abba Head Office and between 2010 to 2012 she was the DFID principal private secretary to the Secretary of State.
The UK Government said between 2009 and 2010, Ms Robinson was appointed head of international climate policy in the Department of Energy and Climate Change and prior to that she served as DFID team leader, Climate Change Adaptation from 2007 to 2009.
It said Ms Robinson worked as private secretary to Secretary of State from 2005 to 2007 and between 2004 and 2005 she was the DFID Policy Analyst, lead on the UK G8 and European Union Presidencies.
When she comes to Zimbabwe, Africa will not be new to her since she worked as the DFID’s Senior Programme Officer in Mozambique from 2002 to 2004. — @nqotshili.
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