The President

The President is the head of Queens’, and lives at the heart of the College, overlooking the river Cam in the President’s Lodge.

Our President, Dame Menna Rawlings DCMG CVO, was installed on the 30th September 2025. She was appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the French Republic in 2021. Her appointment marked a historic milestone, forming a first-ever all-female cohort of British ambassadors and high commissioners to G7 nations. Before taking up her role in France, Dame Menna served as Director-General for Economic and Global Issues at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) from March 2019 to August 2020. Her responsibilities encompassed Global Britain, Asia Pacific, the Americas, Africa, Overseas Territories, the Commonwealth and Economic Diplomacy. Prior to that, she was British High Commissioner to Australia (2015-2019), and served previously in Washington DC, Ghana, Israel, Kenya and Brussels.

The President chairs meetings of the College’s Governing Body, which manages and directs the policies, activities, and day-to-day running of the College. She also chairs and directs many of the other committees and groups responsible for the care, development, and management of the College. Dame Menna represents the College’s interests at various levels in the University, and occupies a particularly important role in the lives of Queens’ undergraduate and graduate students – it is by her authority that students matriculate at Queens’ College, and it is by her hand that they receive their degrees at graduation.