Name Barbara Woodward Role Diplomat | ||
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Alma mater University of St AndrewsYale University Education | ||
Barbara woodward talks to cctv about china uk cooperation
Dame Barbara Janet Woodward (Chinese: 吳百納, born 29 May 1961) is a British diplomat and China expert. She serves as the British Ambassador to China since February 2015 and is the first woman to hold this position.
Contents
- Barbara woodward talks to cctv about china uk cooperation
- Ae conference 2014 matt murray and barbara woodward uk england
- Early years
- Diplomatic career
- Personal life
- Honours
- References
Woodward undertook her undergraduate degree at the University of St Andrews, Scotland before going on to study International Relations at Yale University.
Dame Barbara joined the FCO in 1994. She has worked in China, Russia, the EU and at the UN. From 2003 to 2009 she worked in Beijing, first as a Political Counsellor, then across the whole UK-China relationship as Deputy Head of Mission, including during the Olympics. Prior to her current posting, Woodward was Director General for Economic & Consular Affairs.
Ae conference 2014 matt murray and barbara woodward uk england
Early years
Barbara Janet Woodward was born to Arthur Claude Woodward (1921 – 1992) and Rosemary Monica Gabrielle Fenton in Gipping, Suffolk, United Kingdom on 29 May 1961. Barbara's father participated in World War II as a member of the Suffolk Regiment and was conferred the Military Cross by the British Government on 21 December 1944 for his contributions in the war in northwest Europe. Her father, a surveyor himself, was elected Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRIC) after the war.
Woodward was admitted to the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 1979 and read history. She graduated in 1983 with a Master of Arts (M.A. Hons.) degree. Woodward taught the English language first at Nankai University, then at Hubei University, in Wuhan, China between 1986 and 1988. She later learned and mastered the Chinese language, while her teacher in London, who is knowledgeable about China, gave her the Chinese name Wu Baina (吳百納 Wú Bǎinà). In 1988, she went on to Yale University in the United States to further her studies on international relations and obtained another Master of Arts (M.A.) degree.
Diplomatic career
In 2015, in a conversation with Lucy D'Orsi, Queen Elizabeth II said that Chinese officials "were very rude to the ambassador" (referring to Woodward), during an event negotiation at Lancaster House, London.
Personal life
Woodward is unmarried. Her hobbies include sports, particularly competitive swimming and tennis. She is a member of the Otter Swimming Club in London and has previously served as its Honorary Secretary.
Honours
She was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2011 Birthday Honours and Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to UK/China relations.