Cathy Ward LVO OBE presented her letters of commission as British High Commissioner to the Republic of Malta to His Excellency George Vella, President of the Republic of Malta.

During the ceremony at San Anton Palace, Ms Ward highlighted the strong relationship between the peoples of Malta and the United Kingdom, with cultural and historical ties still very much alive and relevant.

The new British High Commissioner to Malta expressed her commitment of further deepening the bilateral relations and working together for the common good of the citizens of Malta and the United Kingdom.

“I look forward to working together to strengthen the relationship between our two countries, ensure our citizens have all the information they need to be prepared for EU exit and continue our strong cooperation on security, migration and climate change,” she said.

President George Vella underlined the importance of strong cooperation with the United Kingdom for Malta, in a wide range of fields, identifying health and education as priorities. Reference was also made to the very strong community links that continue to consolidate people-to-people relations.

Ms Ward joined the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1994 and has enjoyed a varied career in the civil service. Her earlier roles as a research officer, press officer, senior speech writer to an EU Commissioner saw Ms Ward work in Latin America, Paris, Africa and eventually Brussels.

Prior to her engagement as British High Commissioner to Malta, Ms Ward occupied the role of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Ecuador.

She studied English at Queen’s College, Cambridge University and Politics at York University, and is married with one child.

Ms Ward takes over from her predecessor, Mr Stuart Gill, who served between 2016 and 2020.