A former British ambassador and senior Foreign Office diplomat has been appointed as the next Chief Executive Officer and Diocesan Secretary of the Diocese of Chelmsford.
Harriet Mathews CMG OBE will take up the senior position in October following a diplomatic career spanning almost three decades.
The appointment was announced by the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani.
Mathews will succeed Canon Michaela Southworth, who announced earlier this year that she would leave the position at the end of September after five years in the role.
Nearly three decades in the Foreign Office
Mathews joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997 and went on to hold a series of senior diplomatic and leadership positions.
Most recently she served as Director General for Africa, the Americas and Overseas Territories at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with responsibility for the UK's diplomatic network across those regions.
Her career has also included overseas postings in Brazil, Israel and Afghanistan.
She became the first female British Ambassador to Somalia and has held a number of senior roles dealing with Africa, international security and foreign policy.
Mathews was awarded an OBE in 2005 for her work in West Africa and was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George — CMG — in 2017 for services to diplomacy, international peace and security and Britain's response to the Ebola crisis.
Bishop welcomes appointment
Bishop Guli said she was delighted that Mathews would be joining the Diocese, highlighting both her senior leadership experience and her Christian faith.
She said Mathews would bring considerable experience from her distinguished Civil Service career and described the appointment as good news for those serving churches, chaplaincies and schools across Essex and East London.
Mathews said she was "enormously grateful" for the opportunity to serve as Diocesan Secretary and Chief Executive Officer.
She said she was looking forward to meeting people working in churches, schools and chaplaincies across the Diocese and learning more about both the work taking place and the challenges facing church leaders and the communities they serve.
Senior role across Essex and East London
The Chief Executive Officer and Diocesan Secretary is the senior executive of the Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance.
The role includes leading the diocesan staff team, supporting parishes, worshipping communities and schools and working alongside the Bishop of Chelmsford and her leadership team.
The Diocese of Chelmsford covers Essex and five East London boroughs and serves a population of more than three million people.
Mathews, who is a practising Roman Catholic, will begin her new role in October.