Menna Rawlings

Dame Menna Frances Rawlings (née Hornung; born ) is a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to France between August 2021 and July 2025. Previously British High Commissioner to Australia from 2015 to 2019, she then served as Director General of Economic and Global Issues at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 2019 to 2020. She is currently the President of Queens' College, Cambridge.

Career Menna Hornung studied International Relations at the London School of Economics, earning a Bachelor of Science degree before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1989. Early in her career, she held posts in London, Brussels, Nairobi and Tel Aviv.

From 2002 to 2004, she served as private secretary to the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. She was then deputy high commissioner to Ghana at Accra until 2008. Her appointment marked the first time all British ambassadors or high commissioners to G7 countries were women. During her tenure in Paris, King Charles III and Queen Camilla made a state visit to France in September 2023.

Already a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to British foreign policy. She was also appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in September 2023 in connection with His Majesty’s State Visit to France. In July 2025, Rawlings was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Literature by the University of London.

On 3 June 2025, she was announced as the next President of Queens' College, Cambridge, taking over from Dr. Mohamed El-Erian on 1 October 2025. She is the first female President in the history of the college, which was founded in 1448.