Stephanie Al-Qaq will be the new head of British diplomacy in the country
04.11.2022 | 15:22 (UTC -3)
Mario Cajé
Stephanie Al-Qaq
The United Kingdom Embassy is now led by Stephanie Al-Qaq, who succeeds Peter Wilson as Ambassador appointed by His Majesty, King Charles III, in Brazil. Wilson returned to London in February to serve as chief of staff to the Prime Minister and now returns to the British Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office. Stephanie Al-Qaq will be the first woman to head the UK mission in Brazil.
Stephanie Al-Qaq's relationship with Brazil doesn't start now – and goes beyond the professional sphere. Two of her three children were born in the country while she held the position of Political Advisor at the British Embassy in Brasília, between 2007 and 2012. “I am very excited to embark back to Brazil. I have great affection for this country and I want to expand the bilateral partnership that benefits our people so much,” she stated.
At this time of political transition, one of Stephanie Al-Qaq's missions will be to deepen and strengthen the link between the United Kingdom and Brazil in crucial areas, such as economic growth, green development and cooperation in science and technology. It also aims to stimulate international cooperation to address global challenges such as social inequality and food insecurity.
About Stephanie Al-Qaq
Stephanie Al-Qaq joined Her Majesty's Government in 2002. She previously served as Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department. Earlier this year, she became the UK's Envoy to Iran. In 2015, she was appointed Deputy Head of the British diplomatic mission in the United Arab Emirates. Before that, she was Minister-Counselor in Mexico and Political Advisor in Brazil. Stephanie also served as Assistant Secretary to the Minister for the Middle East, Counter-Terrorism and Consular Affairs. In addition, she previously led the sectors responsible for Iraq and the Counter Narcotics area within the UK Foreign Office.
Before joining British diplomacy, Stephanie Al-Qaq worked at Reuters, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the House of Commons, having worked in several countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Stephanie has a BA in International Politics and French from the University of Birmingham and an MA in International Relations from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She is married to political scientist Kareem Richard Al-Qaq and has three children.