Sarah Hulton

Sarah Anne Pascale Hulton is a British diplomat who has served as the British ambassador to the Philippines and non-resident ambassador to Palau since September 2025.

She previously served as the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 2019 to 2023.

Hulton was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2019 for her services to British foreign policy, an award which is given for prominent national or regional achievements in the UK.

Career

Sarah Hulton has been a career diplomat for the British government since 2002 when she joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). She held various roles at FCO, among them as Counter Terrorism Desk Officer, Head of Child Abduction Unit, Head of Weapons of Mass Destruction Controls, Head of the Pacific Department, Head of DPRK Department and as Deputy Director for Human Resources before her appointment as British High Commissioner for Sri Lanka and the Maldives in 2019. She returned to FCO (now known as Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office or FCDO) in 2023 where she was appointed as Interim Director for Overseas Territories and Polar Directorate since 2024.

Since September 2025, Hulton has served as the UK Ambassador for the Philippines and non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Palau. Hulton can speak Filipino/Tagalog, having received full-time training on the language when she worked at the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) from 2004 to 2005.