I resigned from the Civil Service at the end of November 2008 following Peter's early retirement. Prior to that I too was an ECM in Bombay. I joined the Immigration Service as a graduate entrant in October 1986 and worked as an Immigration Officer at Heathrow where I was one of the team responsible for training new entrant Immigration Officers. I was then an Enforcement Officer before promotion to Chief Immigration Officer in 1994 when I returned to Heathrow.

During Peter's time as an ECM in Lagos and Islamabad, I took the opportunity to broaden my skills in areas such as Ministerial Correspondence, Consular work and as an Entry Clearance Officer.

From January 2003 to November 2005 I was ECM in Accra and part of the team of three ECMs who over this period raised the standards and reputation of the Visa Department hosting a successful visit by the Independent Monitor.

For the first two years in Bombay I had lead responsibility for Appeals. From April 2008 my responsibility was for the introduction of the Points Based System Tier 1. This was piloted in India prior to the worldwide roll out at the end of June 2008. I played a vital role in testing the system, feeding back snagging areas and contributing to amendments to policy. In an addition to this, having an eye for fine detail, I was the reference point for colleagues of all grades and levels of experience, for policy guidance and legislation.

I speak German and French.

In my spare time I enjoy riding my horse, walking our 4 dogs, gardening, ironing( !), reading and eating the fabulous food Peter cooks.