Gillian Angrave was born on 16 April 1945. After working as a Woman Assistant Purser with P and O, from 1967-74, she joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1976, and served as a Personal Assistant, mainly to Ambassadors and Consuls General at: Manila [Philippines], 1976-80; Peru, 1980-81; Guatemala, 1981; Chile, 1982-85; PA to Dame Pauline Neville Jones, FCO Planning Staff, 1985-86; PA to Andrew Burns, Head of South Asia Department, FCO, 1986-87; Mexico, 1987-91; Budapest, 1991-94; PA to Head of Western European Department, 1994-98, then various Under-Secretaries of State (FCO Directors), 1998-2005.