Sharon Wardle

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.

Sharon Wardle
British Ambassador to Algeria
Assumed office
January 2021
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Preceded byBarry Lowen
British High Commissioner to The Gambia[lower-alpha 1]
In office
2017 – August 2020
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Boris Johnson
Preceded byColin Crorkin
Succeeded byDavid Belgrove
Personal details
Born1960s
NationalityBritish
SpousePeter Millman
OccupationDiplomat

Career

Wardle became a diplomat when she joined the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in 1985.[3]

She was the Ambassador to The Gambia[4] from 2017, taking over from Colin Crorkin.[5] 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.[6]

In January 2020, she was acting on behalf of the Queen giving the Order of the British Empire 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.[7]

She was succeeded as the British ambassador in the Gambia by David Belgrove in August 2020.[8]

In 2021, she became the Ambassador to Algeria.[3] She took over from Barry Lowen. Lowen became the ambassador in Mali.[9] She noted that it had been a difficult three years for the country but that she was optimistic concerning Gambia's future.[10]

Wardle was noted for stating the UK's support for the international recognition of the emerging country of Western Sahara in 2022.[11] 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 and the Roman city and World Heritage Site of Timgad.[12]

Notes
  1. At the time she entered office, The Gambia was not a member of the Commonwealth. In February 2018, The Gambia under the government of Adama Barrow joined the Commonwealth, so her status as an ambassador changed to that of a High Commissioner.[1][2]

References
  1. "The Gambia rejoins the Commonwealth". GOV.UK. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  2. "Gambia: Foreign Minister Bids Farewell to Out-Going UK High Commissioner Wardle". allAfrica.com. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  3. "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Algeria: Sharon Wardle". GOV.UK. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. Lamb, Christina. "Our women in Africa: the British ambassadors changing the face of diplomacy". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  5. "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to The Gambia: Sharon Wardle". GOV.UK. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. "President Barrow receives three new diplomatic envoys - The Point". thepoint.gm. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  7. "Her majesty the queen honours two Gambian nationals for outstanding service – The Point". thepoint.gm. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  8. "Change of British High Commissioner to The Gambia: August 2020" (Press release). GOV.UK. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  9. News, Mirage (21 December 2020). "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Mali Barry Lowen | Mirage News". www.miragenews.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. "Outgoing UK diplomat 'optimistic' about Gambia's future - The Point". thepoint.gm. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  11. "UK ambassador to Algeria reaffirms support for international legitimacy in Western Sahara". Sahara Press Service. 23 July 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  12. rima.a (9 February 2023). "À Batna, l'ambassadrice britannique en Algérie fait une double découverte". www.algerie360.com (in French). Retrieved 13 February 2023.
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