Broad Street
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3AS
UK
Dame Nicola Brewer is a British diplomat and, until recently, served as British High Commissioner to South Africa; IRSoc is pleased to welcome her to speak in fifth week.
Dame Nicola joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1983 and has held a number of positions across the globe. In 1994, after the birth of her second child whilst serving as the head of personnel policy for the FCO, Dame Nicola successfully argued for the creation of the first flexible job-share programme for such a senior position. She went on to become Director-General of European Policy at the Foreign Office in 2004 and, in 2006, Dame Nicola was appointed as the first Chief Executive of the newly established Equality and Human Rights Commission. As well as holding a number of public sector appointments, Dame Nicola was appointed as a member of the Advisory Panel on Judicial Diversity when it was established in 2009. In May 2009, she succeeded Paul Boateng as British High Commissioner to South Africa, with accreditation to Lesotho and Swaziland. During her tenure, Dame Nicola became one of the most popular High Commissioners to that nation in recent times.
Membership can be arranged on the door and costs £10 for an annual membership, £20 for life (cash only). For non-members, the price of entry is £5.