Valerie A. Amos

A native of British Guyana and member of the British House of Lords, Valerie Amos was appointed Director of SOAS University of London, in September 2015. From 2010, she had served as Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations. She served in a number of roles in the public sector in the UK, including as Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission, and in international consulting as, for example, an advisor to the Mandela Government in South Africa between 1994 and 1998. She was appointed a Labour Life Peer in 1997 and became a member of the Government in 1998. She served as Secretary for International Development, leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. She also served as UK High Commissioner to Australia before joining the UN.