Sally Axworthy

Sally Axworthy is Deputy Director and Head of Negotiations and Peace Processes Department in the FCDO’s Office for Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation, working to enhance UK effectiveness in reducing the frequency and intensity of conflict. She was British Ambassador to the Holy See from 2016 to 2021,  during which time she ran initiatives on climate change and tackling religiously-inspired violence. Her previous roles in the former FCO include Joint Head of North Africa Department, with a focus on reducing conflict in Libya;  Head of Somalia Unit, responsible for policy for the first two London Somalia conferences; and Director of Corporate Services in India, modernising the High Commission’s corporate services. She has also been posted to Germany, Ukraine and Russia. She was seconded to the Government Office South West in Plymouth working on vulnerable adults’ access to government services, and local initiatives to address deprivation. She has four children and lives in Cornwall.