Sharon Wardle (born 1964/5) is a British diplomat. She was the Ambassador to The Gambia from 2017. After the negotiations were complete to allow the Gambia to rejoin the commonweath she became the High Commissioner to The Gambia from 2018 to 2020. In 2021 she became the Ambassador to Algeria.

Career

Wardle became a diplomat when she joined the

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreign ...

in 1985. She was the Ambassador to The Gambia from 2017, taking over from

Colin Crorkin Colin Wynn Crorkin, (born 31 January 1957) was the UK's Ambassador to the Gambia from 2014 to 2017. Early life Crorkin was born in Edinburgh and attended the Rowlinson School in Sheffield. Career He joined the Foreign Office in 1975. He becam ...

. She became ambassador at a time when the Gambia had left the Commonwealth. At her first meeting with the President she assured him that the UK was keen for the Gambia's application to rejoin to proceed. In January 2020, she was acting on behalf of the Queen giving the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

as a result the 2019 Special Honours. She awarded an OBE to Fatou Baldeh in recognition of her valuable efforts regarding advocating to ethnic communities in Scotland and a KBE to Professor

Tumani Corrah Professor Sir Tumani Corrah is a Gambian clinician whose fields of research include tuberculosis, HIV and malaria. Corrah is Director of the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) and Director, Africa Research Development, Medical Research Coun ...

. She was succeeded as the British ambassador in the Gambia by

David Belgrove David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

in August 2020. In 2021, she became the Ambassador to Algeria. She took over from Barry Lowen. Lowen became the ambassador in Mali. She noted that it had been a difficult three years for the country but that she was optimistic concerning Gambia's future. Wardle was noted for stating the UK's support for the international recognition of the emerging country of

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...

in 2022. Wardle's views on Algeria are reported in the local press. One report of a trip she made to Batna noted her liking for the local stew and flatbread

Chakhchoukha Chakhchoukha or chekhechoukha ( ar, شخشوخة) is a dish of Algerian cuisine, eaten often on festive celebrations, especially popular in the Aurès region. The dish consists of small pieces of ''rougag'' (thin round flatbread) mixed with ' ...

and the Roman city and

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Timgad Timgad ( ar, تيمقاد, links=, lit=, translit=Tīmgād, known as Marciana Traiana Thamugadi) was a Roman city in the Aurès Mountains of Algeria. It was founded by the Roman Emperor Trajan around 100 AD. The full name of the city was ''Colon ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wardle, Sharon 1960s births Living people Members of HM Diplomatic Service Ambassadors and High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to the Gambia Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Algeria 20th-century British diplomats 21st-century British diplomats