Alicia Herbert is new British High Commissioner to Jamaica
Nathan Roper / Our Today
authorAlicia Herbert OBE has been appointed as the new British High Commissioner to Jamaica, making history as the first Caribbean-born, UK diplomat to receive a posting back in the West Indies.
In this capacity, she will be replacing Judith Slater, who has been the British High Commissioner in Jamaica since 2021.
Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Herbert moved to Britain, where she completed her education thanks to a Chevening scholarship.
Afterwards, she thrust herself into work first with the World Bank, and then the British Foreign Office. During this time, she was heavily involved in the British relationship with several sub-Saharan African states, being posted in Mozambique, Sudan, and Nigeria between 2002 and 2016.
In 2021, Herbert moved to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), acting as the Director of Education, Gender and Equalities, based in Scotland. Four years later, she is now tapped for service in Jamaica.
“I feel like my life’s gone full circle,” Herbert admitted. “There aren’t many roles [that] could have persuaded me to leave Scotland, but having first come to the UK on a scholarship, I simply couldn’t resist going back to the region of my birth to represent the UK as high commissioner to Jamaica.”
Herbert was first announced as the designated high commissioner for Jamaica in June this year, but her appointment has only now been completely confirmed.
“I’ve lived in Scotland for the last nine years, so I’m most excited for the Jamaican weather,” she joked. But building a partnership based on mutual respect, I think, is very important. Working together, we, the UK and the Caribbean, can do much on big global issues, like Climate change.”
Herbert’s tenure is set to officially commence in September of this year.
Comments