Helen Smith arrived in July 2021 as the Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Tokyo. Helen joined the Foreign Office in 2004 and has a wide range of diplomatic experience, most recently as Deputy High Commissioner to New Zealand from 2015-2020. Previous roles have included Deputy Head of the UK Somalia Unit, and Head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Operations Unit, advising the Chief Operating Officer on corporate strategy and leading a range of change and efficiency programmes. She has also been posted to the British Embassy in Warsaw as Head of Communications and Second Secretary Political from 2007 to 2010.
Helen has a degree in Oriental Studies (Japanese) from Trinity College, Cambridge. She qualified as a Chartered Global Management Accountant in 2014. She is married with three young children.