Carolyn Browne (born 19 October 1958) is a British diplomat who was the British Ambassador to Kazakhstan from 2013 to 2018.

Early life

She is the daughter of the late

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. ...

Christopher Browne OBE and Margaret Howard. She attended the

South Wilts Grammar School for Girls South Wilts Grammar School, formerly South Wilts Grammar School for Girls, is a grammar school in Salisbury, south Wiltshire, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. Established in 1927, the school converted to an academy in 2011. In 2020, the name ...

. From the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, she gained a BSc degree in Microbiology. From Linacre College, Oxford she gained a

DPhil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in Bacterial Genetics in 1985.

Career

She joined

HM Diplomatic Service His Majesty's Diplomatic Service (HMDS) is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, dealing with foreign affairs and representing British interests overseas, as opposed to the Home Civil Service, which ...

in 1985. From 1988–91 she was a First Secretary in Moscow. From 1993–97 she was at the United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations (UKMIS). From 2002–05 she worked for the

Permanent Representatives of the United Kingdom to the European Union Permanent may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Permanent'' (film), a 2017 American film * ''Permanent'' (Joy Division album) * "Permanent" (song), by David Cook Other uses *Permanent (mathematics), a concept in linear algebra *Permanent (cycl ...

. In 2007 she became the Ambassador to Azerbaijan (Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan). Her appointment had been announced in December 2006. On 1 October 2007 she received a visit from

Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Princ ...

. He met the President of BP Azerbaijan in Baku, and had a dinner given by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan,

Ilham Aliyev Ilham Heydar oghlu Aliyev ( az, İlham Heydər oğlu Əliyev, ; born 24 December 1961) is the fourth president of Azerbaijan, serving in the post since 31 October 2003. The son and second child of the former Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev, ...

. The Prince visited again on 1 June 2009 for an exhibition at the

Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex Heydar is a common male given name in Greater Iran, particularly in Iran and Azerbaijan. A variant of the Arabic name Haydar (also spelt Heidar, Haider, and other variants), it was a cognomen of Ali, who was known for his courage in battle. Heyda ...

and an event given by the British Business Group of Azerbaijan, and later attended a dinner given by the Ambassador. The Prince visited on 26 November 2010, where he had another dinner, given by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In July 2011 she took leave of President Aliyev at the end of her mission to Azerbaijan. Her appointment to

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

was announced in July 2012 and she took up the post in April 2013. In January 2017 the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries of fore ...

announced that she was to be replaced in early 2018 and was to transfer to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Browne was appointed

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG) "for services to British foreign policy" in the

2017 Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...

. On 1 February 2019 she joined the Technical Secretariat of the

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member ...

(OPCW) as the Director of Verification.

References

BROWNE, Carolyn
Who's Who 2013, A & C Black, 2013; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012, accessed 4 Jan 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Carolyn 1958 births Living people Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Azerbaijan Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Kazakhstan People educated at South Wilts Grammar School for Girls Alumni of Linacre College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Bristol British women ambassadors Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George