Antonia Romeo (left, with Alexa Chung), 43, is to be Everlasting Secretary on the Division for Worldwide Commerce
Britain's first lady consul-general in New York has been appointed to one of many Authorities's most high-powered posts to assist strike post-Brexit commerce offers with the remainder of the world.
Antonia Romeo, 43, is to be Everlasting Secretary on the Division for Worldwide Commerce.
Her job, with Worldwide Commerce Secretary Liam Fox, will probably be to promote Britain overseas as a mecca for inward funding.
The US is Britain's most essential buying and selling associate and Mrs Romeo will probably be on the forefront of the drive to strike a speedy commerce settlement with the Donald Trump's incoming administration.
In six months as consul-general, she has already made a huge effect. Dr Fox and International Secretary Boris Johnson are each large followers.
As dwelling secretary, Theresa Might knew Mrs Romeo when she was director-general for legal justice within the Ministry of Justice. In September Mrs Might addressed the United Nations in New York and there have been a sequence of high-powered occasions on the consul-general's Manhattan residence. The 2 girls actually clicked.
A senior supply mentioned: 'Theresa was impressed when she was dwelling secretary, and noticed in New York what an important job she was doing. She wished Antonia again in Whitehall to steer the post-Brexit commerce drive.' Downing Avenue will log off on the appointment in days.
The appointment is a direct problem to stuffy International Workplace mandarins equivalent to Sir Ivan Rogers, who final week give up as ambassador to the EU having by no means come to phrases with the results of June's referendum.
'To hell with gray and resigning ambassadors,' mentioned a supporter of the PM final night time. 'Antonia is fiercely intelligent, fashionable, and completely dedicated to her job.'
Crucially, in any pronouncements in public or personal, she has additionally expressed pleasure moderately than pessimism about Britain's prospects after leaving the EU.
Mrs Romeo, 43, nee Rice-Evans, was educated privately at North London Collegiate College and £33,000-a-year Westminster College. The mom of a 13-year-old daughter and sons aged 11 and eight, she studied politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford and economics on the London College of Economics.
After a spell within the personal sector at worldwide administration consultants Oliver Wyman, the place she met her Italian husband John, she joined the Civil Service on a short lived contract as an economist in 2000.
Inside six years she was principal personal secretary to Labour's Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer, and transferred to the Cupboard Workplace when David Cameron turned prime minister in 2010. In 2015 she turned director-general of Cameron's Financial and Home Secretariat within the Cupboard Workplace.
When her husband's job with Oliver Wyman moved to the US in October 2015 she turned Britain's envoy to the US expertise industries. In June she was leaving a airplane in San Francisco when the referendum outcomes began swinging to Brexit.
She later mentioned that, at that time, she realised how a lot the consul job would develop.
When she defined the Brexit vote to her eight-year-old son Rocco, she mentioned: 'Think about you are in a membership with pals the place you do your homework collectively, and the membership would shield you in opposition to bullies. Effectively, now you've got left that membership, however you may nonetheless have the advantages of being pals with the membership members.'
Antonia was additionally pictured with actress Joanna Lumley at a lunch thrown by the editor of Cosmopolitan for the Completely Fabulous stars
Like Mrs Might along with her trademark kitten heels, the elegantly dressed Mrs Romeo is never seen out of snakeskin Louboutins. The primary British lady consul-general in 231 years in New York, she has already made her mark on the town and its trend scene.
Final summer time she hosted a reception to mark the centenary of British Vogue with the editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman.
Wearing a robe by British designer Jenny Packham, whose shoppers embrace Angeline Jolie and Dame Helen Mirren, she combined with newlyweds Jerry Corridor and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, mannequin Alexa Chung, and superstar photographer Josh Olins. His current topics have included the Duchess of Cambridge. She was additionally pictured with actress Joanna Lumley at a lunch thrown by the editor of Cosmopolitan for the Completely Fabulous stars.
Now, because the Authorities gears as much as set off Article 50, beginning formal divorce proceedings from the EU, her appointment on the Division of Worldwide Commerce will ship a frisson via Whitehall.
The high-flyer has leapfrogged many older, extra skilled profession civil servants and she or he will probably be one of the vital highly effective unelected girls within the Authorities.
'Antonia won't be like most everlasting secretaries. She's enjoyable however targeted, robust, however truthful and can have a direct line to the Prime Minister,' mentioned one other supply.
In an interview within the autumn, Mrs Romeo, whose workplace is nearby of the skyscrapers of Wall Avenue, mentioned: 'Being consul-general in New York is my dream job. My job has received a lot greater.'
Now it is received even greater.
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