Barbara Woodward

Her Excellency Barbara Woodward CMG OBE
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British Ambassador to China
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 February 2015
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Sir Sebastian Wood
Personal details
Born	(1961-05-29) May 29, 1961 Gipping, Suffolk, United Kingdom
Alma mater	University of St Andrews Yale University

Yung Fung-shee
Traditional Chinese	吳百納
Simplified Chinese	吴百纳
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wú Bǎinà Bopomofo ㄨˊ ㄅㄞˇ ㄋㄚˋ

Barbara Janet Woodward CMG OBE (Chinese: 吳百納, born 29 May 1961) is a British diplomat and a "Zhongguo tong" (中國通 Zhōngguó tōng). She serves as the British Ambassador to China since February 2015 and is the first woman to hold this position.

Woodward undertook her undergraduate degree at the University of St Andrews, Scotland before going on to study International Relations at Yale University.

Ambassador Woodward joined the FCO in 1994. She has worked in China, Russia, the EU and at the UN. From 2003 to 2009 she worked in Beijing, first as a Political Counsellor, then across the whole UK-China relationship as Deputy Head of Mission, including during the Olympics. Woodward was most recently appointed Director General for Economic & Consular Affairs.

Early years

Barbara Janet Woodward was born to Arthur Claude Woodward (1921 – 1992) and Rosemary Monica Gabrielle Fenton in Gipping, Suffolk, United Kingdom on 29 May 1961. Barbara's father participated in World War II as a member of the Suffolk Regiment and was conferred the Military Cross by the British Government on 21 December 1944 for his contributions in the war in northwest Europe. Her father, a surveyor himself, was elected Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRIC) after the war.

Woodward was admitted to the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 1979 and read history. She graduated in 1983 with a Master of Arts (M.A. Hons.) degree. Woodward taught the English language first at Nankai University, then at Hubei University, in Wuhan, China between 1986 and 1988. She later learned and mastered the Chinese language, while her teacher in London, who is knowledgeable about China, gave her the Chinese name Wu Baina (吳百納 Wú Bǎinà). In 1988, she went on to Yale University in the United States to further her studies on international relations and obtained another Master of Arts (M.A.) degree.

Diplomatic career

In 2015 a Chinese official or officials, to quote HM the Queen, were very rude to the ambassador, during an event negotiation at Lancaster House, London.

Personal life

Woodward is unmarried. Her hobbies include sports, particularly competitive swimming and tennis. She loves to play contract bridge too. She is a member of the Otter Swimming Club in London and has previously served as its Honorary Secretary.

Honours

• The following lists the full name of her honours and their abbreviations:^{^}
  • Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) (1999 New Year conferments）
  • Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) （2011 Her Majesty's Birthday conferments）

References

English-language

• The Diplomatic Service List. Great Britain: H.M. Stationery Office, 2003.
• "Descendants of John Roper-269323", Genealogy Web Page of L. David Roper, 13 April 2005.
• "Change of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to China", Foreign & Commonwealth Office: Press Release, 6 August 2014.
• "WOODWARD, Barbara Janet", Who's Who 2013. London: A. & C. Black, 2012. ISBN 978-1-40815-491-5
• "Prince William coming to China", China Daily, 6 February 2015.
• "Barbara Woodward", Linkedin, retrieved on 24 March 2015.
• "England & Wales births 1837-2006", Genes Reunited, retrieved on 24 March 2015.

Chinese-language

• "英任命新駐華大使，強調中英經貿往來", BBC Chinese, 6 August 2014.
• "英國首位女性駐華大使履新，29年前在中國教英語", China News Service, 19 March 2015.

External links

• "Barbara Woodward: Britain's first female ambassador to China intends to forge strong links with the growing economic superpower", The Independent, 1 March 2015.

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Sir Sebastian Wood	British Ambassador to China February 2015–present	Incumbent