We invite you to a Fireside Chat with Baroness Valerie Amos, a distinguished public servant, diplomat, and academic leader whose career has spanned British public life, global diplomacy, and higher education.
From her early days in Guyana to the United Nations and Oxford University, Baroness Amos has lived a life of historic firsts.
Her journey is one of resilience, quiet authority, and a deep commitment to justice and representation. She has opened doors in spaces once closed, transforming them for future generations.
What to Expect
- A conversation on leadership, identity, and the importance of representation
- Reflections on her experiences in government, diplomacy, and education
- Insights into how we can all contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society
- Live audience Q&A
Bio
Valerie Ann Amos, Baroness Amos (born 13 March 1954) is a British Labour Party politician and diplomat who served as the eighth UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Before her appointment to the UN, she served as British High Commissioner to Australia. She was created a life peer in 1997, serving as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council from 2003 to 2007.
When she was appointed Secretary of State for International Development on 12 May 2003, Amos became the first woman of colour to serve as a British Cabinet minister. She left the Cabinet in 2007. In July 2010, Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon announced Baroness Amos’s appointment to the role of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. She took up the position in 2010 and remained in post until 2015. In September 2015, Amos was appointed Director of SOAS, University of London, becoming the first black woman to lead a university in the United Kingdom.
Since September 2020, Amos has been Master of University College (Univ), Oxford, becoming the first-ever black head of an Oxford college, as well as the first woman to head Univ, the oldest Oxford College.
To join the event please use the MS Teams link below
________________________________________________________________________________
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Meeting ID: 364 897 076 997
Passcode: Af2p3Mw9
Dial in by phone
+44 20 7660 8164,,156455260# United Kingdom, City of London
Phone conference ID: 156 455 260#
For organizers: Meeting options | Reset dial-in PIN
________________________________________________________________________________