# Alison Blake > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alison_Blake > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alison_Blake.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Blake > Source revision: 1352214036 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Alison Mary Blake** is a British diplomat who served as [Governor](/source/Governor_of_the_Falkland_Islands) of the [Falkland Islands](/source/Falkland_Islands) and [Commissioner](/source/Commissioner_for_South_Georgia_and_the_South_Sandwich_Islands) of [South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands](/source/South_Georgia_and_the_South_Sandwich_Islands) from 2022 to 2025. She previously served as High Commissioner to [Bangladesh](/source/Bangladesh) and Ambassador to [Afghanistan](/source/Afghanistan). ## Career Blake was educated at [Roan School for Girls](/source/The_John_Roan_School) and [Merton College, Oxford](/source/Merton_College,_Oxford), where she gained an [MA](/source/Master_of_Arts) degree in ancient and modern history in 1980. She worked as an archaeologist for the [Museum of London](/source/Museum_of_London), [English Heritage](/source/English_Heritage), and the [Greater London Council](/source/Greater_London_Council) (GLC) from 1983 to 1987. She joined the [Ministry of Defence](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)) (MoD) in 1989, where she served as an assistant private secretary to the [Secretary of State for Defence](/source/Secretary_of_State_for_Defence). She left the MoD in 1995 and transferred to the [Foreign and Commonwealth Office](/source/Foreign_and_Commonwealth_Office) (FCO) and was at the UK delegation to [NATO](/source/NATO) in [Brussels](/source/Brussels), 1996–99; deputy head of the Eastern Adriatic Department at the FCO 1999–2001; at the embassy in [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington,_D.C.), 2001–05; on secondment to the Cabinet Office as Head of Foreign and Development Policy 2006–07; head of the Conflict Group at the FCO 2007–11; deputy [High Commissioner](/source/High_Commissioner_(Commonwealth)) to Pakistan 2011–14.[1] She became [High Commissioner to Bangladesh](/source/List_of_High_Commissioners_of_the_United_Kingdom_to_Bangladesh) in January 2016,[2] where, in 2017, she received some criticism for apparently lobbying on behalf of [British American Tobacco](/source/British_American_Tobacco), which was at that time in a dispute with the [Bangladeshi government](/source/Bangladeshi_government) over a £170m claim for unpaid VAT brought by the government of Bangladesh against its subsidiary, BATB.[3] Blake was appointed a Companion of the [Order of St. Michael and St. George](/source/Order_of_St._Michael_and_St._George) (CMG) in the [2018 New Year Honours](/source/2018_New_Year_Honours) "for services to British foreign and security policy."[4] She then moved in May 2019 to become [Ambassador to Afghanistan](/source/List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_Kingdom_to_Afghanistan).[5] She was succeeded by [Sir Laurie Bristow](/source/Laurie_Bristow) in June 2021.[6] In March 2022, the [Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office](/source/Foreign,_Commonwealth_%26_Development_Office) announced that Blake would be the new [Governor of the Falkland Islands](/source/Governor_of_the_Falkland_Islands) and [Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands](/source/Commissioner_for_South_Georgia_and_the_South_Sandwich_Islands), succeeding [Nigel Phillips](/source/Nigel_Phillips) in July 2022.[7] She was the first female governor of the islands.[8] ## References 1. [*Blake, Alison Mary*](https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-285068). Who's Who 2018. 1 December 2018. [doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U285068](https://doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U285068). ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. 1. ["Change of British High Commissioner to Bangladesh"](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-british-high-commissioner-to-bangladesh). Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 12 October 2015. 1. Doward, Jamie (10 September 2017). ["British diplomat lobbied on behalf of big tobacco"](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/sep/09/british-diplomat-lobbied-big-tobacco-bat-bangladesh-unpaid-vat). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 9 March 2023. 1. No. 62150. 30 December 2017. p. N4. 1. ["Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Afghanistan – May 2019"](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-her-majestys-ambassador-to-afghanistan-may-2019). Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 15 April 2019. 1. ["Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Afghanistan: Laurie Bristow"](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-her-majestys-ambassador-to-afghanistan-laurie-bristow). *GOV.UK*. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021. 1. ["Change of Governor of the Falkland Islands: Alison Mary Blake CMG"](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-governor-of-the-falkland-islands-alison-mary-blake-cmg). *GOV.UK*. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022. 1. ["First Woman Governor of the Falkland Islands: Alison Mary Blake CMG"](https://en.mercopress.com/2022/03/15/first-woman-governor-of-the-falkland-islands-alison-mary-blake-cmg). *www.mercopress.com*. MercoPress. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022. |- |- --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alison Blake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Blake) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Blake?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.