Press release

Change of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Bulgaria

Emma Hopkins has been appointed Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Republic of Bulgaria.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
Emma Hopkins

Mrs Emma Kate Hopkins OBE has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Bulgaria in succession to Mr Jonathan Guy Allen, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mrs Hopkins will take up her appointment during May 2015.

Mrs Hopkins transferred to the FCO in 2012 and is currently the Head of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative. She received an OBE in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to preventing sexual violence in conflict-affected countries overseas. A barrister by background, her career in government has spanned immigration, human rights, EU, organised crime as well as violence against women. Whilst at the Home Office she developed the strategy on human trafficking and delivered it through a national and international campaign. She received the “civil servant of the year” award for outstanding contribution to public service in 2008 for this work.

On her appointment as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Bulgaria, Mrs Hopkins said

I am delighted to be appointed as British Ambassador to Bulgaria. It is a great privilege to have the opportunity to work with Bulgaria to further strengthen our bilateral relationship and achieve our shared objectives. I look forward to building on the strong existing relationship and working on issues of importance to both our countries. I have already heard a lot about the beauty of Bulgaria and the hospitality of its people, and the whole family is excited about coming!

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full name Emma Kate Hopkins OBE
2012 – present FCO, Head of Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative
2009 – 2012 Home Office, Head of EU/International Team, Legal Adviser’s Branch
2009 UK Border Agency, Senior Legal Adviser
2006 – 2008 Home Office, Head of Organised Immigration Crime, Organised and Financial Crime Unit
2001 – 2006 Home Office Legal Adviser’s Branch, Senior Advisory Lawyer
1996 – 2001 Chambers of Kieran Coonan Queen’s Counsel, Barrister

Further information

Follow the Foreign Office on twitter @foreignoffice

Follow the Foreign Office on facebook and Google+

Media enquiries

For journalists

Updates to this page

Published 8 September 2014