Valerie Amos

The Right Honourable The Baroness Amos CH PC


Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
In office 1 September 2010 – 29 May 2015
Secretary-General	Ban Ki-moon
Preceded by	John Holmes
Succeeded by	Stephen O'Brien
British High Commissioner to Australia
In office 1 October 2009 – 1 September 2010
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown David Cameron
Preceded by	Helen Liddell
Succeeded by	Paul Madden
Leader of the House of Lords Lord President of the Council
In office 6 October 2003 – 27 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	The Lord Williams of Mostyn
Succeeded by	The Baroness Ashton of Upholland
Secretary of State for International Development
In office 12 May 2003 – 6 October 2003
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Clare Short
Succeeded by	Hilary Benn
Member of the House of Lords
In office 24 September 1997 – 26 May 2010 on Leave of Absence
Appointed by	Elizabeth II
Personal details
Born	Valerie Ann Amos (1954-03-13) 13 March 1954 (age 62) Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana)
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	University of Birmingham University of Warwick University of East Anglia
Religion	Christian

When Amos was appointed Secretary of State for International Development on 12 May 2003, following the resignation of Clare Short, she became the first black woman to sit in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. She left the Cabinet when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister. In July 2010 Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon announced Baroness Amos's appointment to the role of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. She took up the position on 1 September 2010 and remained in post until 29 May 2015. In September 2015 Amos was appointed Director of SOAS, University of London, becoming the first black woman to lead a university in the United Kingdom.