Alison Rose
Biography
Alison Rose was the British Ambassador to Belgium from August 2014 until June 2019. Alison is a European Union (EU) specialist. Previous jobs have included leading the EU, economic, climate, home affairs and science teams at the British Embassy in Paris. She has also been Head of the Future of Europe Department at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, responsible for EU strategy, including the EU Act 2011, and for bilateral relations with the EU Institutions and a number of European countries.
Alison was born in Coventry in the West Midlands. She studied at Barr’s Hill Grammar School in Coventry and at Cambridge University (Newnham College) graduating with a degree in modern history.
Alison’s early career focused on employment and training. She joined the Manpower Services Commission in 1983, running jobcentres and training schemes for the unemployed in London. She moved into EU policy in 1988, negotiating proposals to improve mutual recognition of qualifications and modernise training, and later worked on health and safety policy in a wide range of industrial sectors.
After working on legislation to devolve power to London, Alison moved in 1999 to the UK Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels, where she was responsible for EU regional economic development policy and health and cultural policy. She returned to London as a Deputy Director in the European Secretariat of the Cabinet Office, during the preparation for and running of the UK Presidency of the EU in 2005. She has also worked on heritage policy, equality policy and change management.