Gemma Stevenson has been appointed His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan and His Majesty’s Consul General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
The UK Government said she will take up the role in September 2026. The appointment was announced by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
Ms Stevenson was previously a director in the Department for Business and Trade, covering the UK’s strategy for small and medium-sized enterprises. She has also held senior civil service roles focused on the UK’s commercial relationship with the Indo-Pacific, and on economic and investment security.
Before joining the civil service, she spent a decade in South Asia. The government said she worked as an adviser to the Indian and Afghan governments on trade and commerce issues and was director of the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan.
Ms Stevenson has also worked as a consultant for private sector clients in the UK in professional services, transport and consumer goods. She holds a degree in Modern History and Modern Languages from the University of Oxford and a master’s degree in Economic Public Policy from Princeton University.
The government said she takes up the post after the UK concluded a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The HM Trade Commissioner role covers work to promote UK trade and prosperity across the Middle East and Pakistan. Responsibilities include growing trade and investment relationships, improving market access for British companies and developing trade policy.