About Karen Pierce
Dame Karen Elizabeth Pierce (born 23 September 1959) is a British diplomat and senior civil servant who most recently served as the British Ambassador to the United States from 2020 to 2025. She was previously the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations from 2018 to 2020 and the British Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2015 to 2016. She was the first woman appointed to the United States and United Nations roles, and the second in the Afghanistan role. == Early life and education == Pierce was born in Preston, Lancashire, where her grandparents were mill workers. Her father was an architectural draughtsman, and her mother was a secretary. After attending Penwortham Girls' High School, a grammar school in Lancashire, she continued her studies at Girton College, Cambridge, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. In 2012, she was awarded a Master of Science degree in international strategy and diplomacy from the London School of Economics. == Career == Pierce joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1981, inspired by Margaret Thatcher's victory in the 1979 general election, which demonstrated to Pierce that women could "reach the top". After studying Japanese, she was posted to Tokyo in 1984. In 1987, she returned to London and joined the FCO's Security Policy Department.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.