Dame Karen Pierce appointed Chair of The Ditchley Foundation

A career diplomat with extensive international experience, Dame Karen currently serves as UK Special Envoy for the Western Balkans and prior to that was Britain’s Ambassador to the United States from March 2020 to February 2025. She also served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UK Mission to the United Nations and as the UK’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, among many other roles. Dame Karen was the first female to serve both as Ambassador to the US and as UK Permanent Representative to the UN. She joined the FCDO in 1981.

“Dame Karen is a diplomat of consummate skill, as she proved in Washington, and she’s committed to Ditchley with many years of engagement in our discussions,” said Ditchley Director James Arroyo. “Right now, I cannot think of a better Chair than Karen to take Ditchley’s work forward.”

Dame Karen was elected to Ditchley’s Council of Management at this year’s Annual General Meeting held in September and has served as a Ditchley Governor since September 2020. She takes over the reins from The Rt Hon Lord Hill of Oareford CBE, who has chaired the Council of Management since 2017.

“I am honoured and delighted to take over the Chair of Ditchley from Jonathan Hill, who has done an outstanding job,” Dame Karen said. “Ditchley is the pre-eminent Anglo-American Foundation dating back to its use in the Second World War. I have been a participant in many of its conferences and have long admired its work.”

“It will be an enormous privilege to work alongside its Director James Arroyo and his excellent team, as well as the Ditchley Council, to advance the key transatlantic issues of the 21st century and to continue the legacy of the Wills family,” she added.

Since its inauguration in 1958, the evolution of The Ditchley Foundation has reflected the shifting priorities of an ever-changing geopolitical landscape. Throughout its history, the Foundation has benefited from the leadership of a succession of distinguished individuals who have served as Chair, offering wise counsel and steadfast support to each Director. 

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