We were delighted to host an In-Conversation event with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, European specialist, Ambassador Jill Gallard, on 6 March 2025.

The conversation was moderated by Andrew Heyn, Honorary Professor of Practice at the Mitchell Institute.  The audience included invited undergraduate and postgraduate students and several QUB academic staff.

Jill, who was born and grew up in Northern Ireland, was most recently UK Ambassador to Germany from 2020-2024.  She was the first woman appointed to that post.  She has held a number of other senior positions within the FCDO including Ambassador to Portugal from 2011-14.

In their conversation Andrew and Jill reflected on their extensive experience working in diplomacy including the impact of President Trump’s return to the White House on UK and European foreign policy, prospects for European security in the light of recent developments in Ukraine and Jill’s assessment of the German elections.

In a lively Q&A session, questions covered a wide range of topics on UK diplomacy and global political developments, including the rise of the far right in Europe; advice on how to have a career in foreign affairs and the challenges Jill had faced in a profession previously dominated by men.