Sonia Farrey has officially commenced her duties as the United Kingdom’s new Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). This significant appointment, announced by the British Foreign Office, places Ms. Farrey at the heart of European diplomacy. She succeeds Corinne Kitsell in this demanding role.
After presenting her credentials to Monica Juma, Director-General of UNOV, Ms. Farrey assumed one of Europe’s most crucial diplomatic positions. She also serves as the British governor to the IAEA Board of Governors. In this capacity, her responsibilities include monitoring nuclear safety standards, especially in conflict-affected regions like Ukraine. Moreover, she will review multilateral security guarantees and arms control agreements, addressing highly sensitive global issues.
Sonia Farrey brings substantial experience to her new posting in Vienna. Her distinguished career began at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 2001. Over the past two decades, the Durham native has held diverse strategic and operational roles. She started with assignments in the Middle East Directorate, subsequently completing Arabic language training in Syria from 2004 to 2006.
Her path included challenging postings in the Middle East and Africa. For example, she served as Second Secretary at the British Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, from 2006 to 2007. Later, she gained firsthand experience as a reconciliation adviser in Baghdad, Iraq, from 2008 to 2009. Back in London, Ms. Farrey managed vital security portfolios. This included work in the Counterterrorism Department (2009–2010), as Deputy Head of the Somalia Unit (2012–2013), and as Deputy Head of the Security Policy Department (2013–2014).
Ms. Farrey is also well-versed in multilateral diplomacy. She led the European Counter-Terrorism and Extremism Prevention Network (CTEN) from Brussels between 2017 and 2018. Furthermore, she was Political Counselor at the British Mission to the UN in New York from 2020 to 2021. Demonstrating her versatility, she also worked outside the civil service as Director of Advocacy and Head of Policy at UNICEF UK from 2018 to 2019.
Most recently, from 2022 to 2025, she served as Deputy Director of the Gender and Children in Conflict Division at the FCDO. Her academic background complements her practical experience, with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the London School of Economics and a Master of Studies in International Relations from Cambridge University. In Vienna, Sonia Farrey will navigate complex challenges, focusing on non-proliferation and nuclear safety as a representative of a nuclear power. Her varied expertise makes her a crucial figure for British foreign policy.
