Julie Louise Jo "Jules" Chappell OBE (born 2 April 1978)[1] is a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras from 2009 to 2012. At age 31, she was Britain's youngest-ever ambassador.[citation needed]
Early life and education
editChappell was born in Poole[1] and raised in Shapwick, Dorset, and won a scholarship to St Swithun's School, Winchester. She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Brasenose College, Oxford, graduating with a BA degree in 1999. She was captain of Oxford University women's lacrosse team and went on to represent England at lacrosse, winning a bronze medal at the under-19s world championship in the USA.[2]
Career
editAfter graduating, Chappell joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In 2003 she was posted to Baghdad, Iraq, as a member of the Coalition's governance team after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.[3] She was appointed OBE in 2004 "in recognition of services to the reconstruction of Iraq and towards its transition to democracy."[4]
In 2008, Chappell was appointed to be British ambassador to Guatemala, and also non-resident ambassador to El Salvador and Honduras.[5] She took up her post in Guatemala on 28 May 2009[6] becoming, at the time, the United Kingdom's youngest ever ambassador at the age of 31.[7] During her time in Guatemala, Chappell made issues surrounding domestic violence in the country a key part of her mission.[8]
In 2012, Chappell led the GREAT Britain campaign and Emerging Powers department at the FCO, promoting the United Kingdom as a destination for international trade and tourism, subsequently being awarded a Civil Service Award for her work.[7] A year later, in 2013, she won a Women of the Future for the Public Sector award.[9]
in 2014, Chappell left the FCO and joined Hawthorn Advisors, a London-based communications firm specialising in finance and corporate strategy, as head of international relations.[10] She later became a partner. She is now managing director, business, at London and Partners.[11][12] Since leaving the FCO she has styled herself "Jules Chappell".
Since July 2017, Chappell has been an Advisory Board Member of the St James's Roundtable at Chatham House.[13] She continues her promotion of women in the business and financial world; in 2016, she was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.[12] She is currently managing director, business, at London and Partners.[12]
Personal life
editChappell is married and lives in London with her two twins, Lily and Charlotte.[14]
Chappell regularly participates in sport and is currently a member of the Clapham Lacrosse Premiership team, having the highest scoring rate of the team for the 2017/2018 season.
References
edit- ^ a b "Chappell, Julie Louise Jo, (Mrs Bradley Porter)". Who's Who 2018. 1 December 2017.
- ^ "Woman, 31, is youngest ambassador". BBC News. 28 April 2009.
- ^ Mercer, Matthew (20 February 2017). "Doing well abroad: Britain's youngest ever ambassador on delivering diplomacy". The Centre for Public Impact.
- ^ "No. 57485". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 December 2004. p. 1.
- ^ "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Republic of Guatemala and Her Majesty's Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of El Salvador and the Republic of Honduras". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 23 September 2008.
- ^ "HMA Julie Chappell OBE, presented her credentials to the Guatemalan Government". UK in Guatemala. 28 May 2009. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009.
- ^ a b "So What Does a British Diplomat Really Do?". 30 December 2013.
- ^ "Guatemalans climb volcano in protest against violence". BBC News. 22 January 2012.
- ^ "The FCO's Julie Chappell wins a Women of the Future award". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 13 November 2013.
- ^ "Senior FCO diplomat joins Hawthorn". 17 September 2014.
- ^ "How we are run". London & Partners. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- ^ a b c "Julie Chappell - World Economic Forum". 16 August 2017.
- ^ "St James's Roundtable". 1 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ Spinney, Laura (5 August 2016). "The tantilising truth about twins - and why they're more common than ever". The Telegraph.