The Team
The Board
The Board currently consists of 13 members:
Edward Glover; Lucie Portman; Cynthia Butterworth; Tim Handley; Amanda Tanfield; Gillian Dare; Nigel Parker; Pat Ashworth; Jean-Pierre Hantrais; Jane Clarke; Paola Fudakowska; Kellie Collins and Jenny Thomas.
Office holders are appointed for three years, and must be approved at AGM; there is no limit on the number of times their appointments may be renewed.
The FCDOA office is located in King Charles Street (room KG 15).
The office team
It consists of the Chairman, Edward Glover; the Treasurer, Amanda Tanfield; the Executive Secretary, Lucie Portman; and Cynthia Butterworth. Other members of the board work from home, attending King Charles Street whenever necessary.
The Team
Edward Glover
Chairman
A career diplomat, after posts in Canberra, Washington and Berlin, Edward’s senior appointments included Head of the FCO’s Management Review Staff, Deputy Head of Mission in Brussels and High Commissioner to Guyana and Ambassador to Suriname. Edward was British adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Iraq (2003-5).
Lucie Portman
Lucie worked in the European Parliament, European Commission and European Council in Brussels for nine years, before travelling with her family on postings to Ankara and back to Brussels, and then moving to England in 2019.
Lucie works on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8.00-16.00
Cynthia Butterworth
London visits
Cynthia has served in the Consulate-General Geneva, Trade Commission Hong Kong, Embassy Peking, Embassy Jakarta, UKMIS New York and Embassy Washington in various roles. At present she organises London visits for members of the FCDO Association and does some general office administration.
Cynthia.Butterworth@fcdo.gov.uk
Tim Handley
Out of London Visits
Tim is the FCDOA’s Out of London Visits Officer and have arranged many and varied visits, including to Bletchley Park, Leicester (Richard III findings) and Jane Austen’s house at Chawton.
Amanda Tanfield
Treasurer
Amanda spent 10 years in the MoD followed by 16 in the FCO, working mostly on multilateral issues such as arms control. She now lives in the Worcestershire countryside and works as Trustee/Charity Secretary/Treasurer for various local charities.
Gillian Dare
Gillian joined the FCO in 1999, after careers in the private sector, local government and the Arts Council. She specialised in security policy, law and order, as well as conflict and stabilisation focusing on Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. After a last posting in Brussels to establish the UK/EU Funding Unit and her final job in London as senior policy officer on women, peace and security, she assumed on her retirement various trustee roles. Gillian leads on the Association’s online events.
Nigel Parker
Nigel was a legal adviser for 27 years including a posting in Bridgetown. He left the FCO in 2015 and is now the Director of the Catholic Union of Great Britain. Nigel leads on the Association’s legal and constitutional affairs.
Pat Ashworth
Pat served in nine Posts overseas, including as High Commissioner to Belize. He is a school governor and a keen walker along the footpaths of Kent. He is the Pensions brief holder for the FCODA.
Jean-Pierre Hantrais
As a French instructor for 30 years in the now defunct DSLC, Jean-Pierre was quite envious of his students being posted to exotic places while being stuck in Palace Chambers. But, thanks to a friend, after his retirement in 2001, Jean-Pierre travelled through 100 countries and walked 30,000 miles, as a guide for the Ramblers. Nowdays Jean-Pierre divides his time between London and the South of France.
Jane Clarke
Jane worked at the FCO from 1999 until 2006 in media affairs and public diplomacy on campaigns to promote the UK overseas. This included the six-month long Think UK campaign in China in 2003. She now writes fiction full-time and have had four novels published as Jane Lythell. Jane is responsible for the Writers’ Corner.
Paola Fudakowska
Paola worked in Legal Directorate for three years from April 2019 as a legal adviser in the Europe & Human Rights and International Institutions and Security Policy teams, with periods at UKMis Geneva.
Prior to working at FCDO, Paola brings 15 years experience as an international wealth disputes lawyer at a global law firm in London and Geneva.
Kellie Collins
Served in FCDO from 2004-2022 in both Diplomatic Service and as local staff member in UKMis Geneva and BE The Hague. Now concentrating on Life/Wellbeing Coaching:www.theresilientdiplomat.com
Kellie leads on Membership Benefits.
Jenny Thomas
Jenny spent nearly three decades at the FCO working on a variety of security and ME issues, as well as CT. She worked extensively overseas and enjoyed visiting a number of unusual destinations. Jenny loves learning languages and is currently grappling with Welsh. Stocks and Shares are of interest and she enjoys researching companies and markets. She has a Naval background and supports Naval charities.
Jenny leads on External Relations.