KINGSTON, Jamaica — A powerful chapter is about to begin in UK-Caribbean diplomacy as Alicia Herbert OBE prepares to take office as the new British High Commissioner to Jamaica in September 2025, stepping into the role previously held by Judith Slater.
Born in the Caribbean, Herbert’s appointment marks a turning point in UK foreign service tradition—one of the rare instances where a British Head of Mission shares ancestral ties with the region she now represents. This historic dimension was underscored during a private send-off from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who acknowledged the symbolic and strategic significance of the appointment.
Herbert, age 57, brings with her an ironclad résumé of global leadership. She most recently led nearly 1,000 personnel for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) operations in Scotland. Her earlier portfolio includes roles as the UK’s Special Envoy for Gender Equality and as a key figure in high-stakes humanitarian and security interventions across Africa—including counter-extremism work in Nigeria, conflict diplomacy in Sudan, and public health campaigns in Mozambique.
For Herbert, the move is more than professional—it’s personal.
“This feels like destiny,” she said. “Returning to the Caribbean, where my journey began, to represent the UK—there is no greater honour.”
Herbert first arrived in the United Kingdom on an academic scholarship, launching a career that would see her shape global gender policy and navigate crises on multiple continents. Yet despite decades spent abroad, she describes the appointment to Jamaica as a “full-circle moment.”
Her selection has already been met with enthusiasm from Caribbean observers and the British diplomatic community alike, many noting the resonance of her heritage in a region still navigating the legacy of colonial ties.
Her family, meanwhile, is reported to be overjoyed by the move—offering their full support as she prepares to transition from East Kilbride to Kingston.
With her unique blend of lived Caribbean experience and institutional UK insight, Alicia Herbert is poised not only to represent British interests in Jamaica but to deepen the dialogue between the two nations in a manner both strategic and symbolic.
