International trade department appoints US specialist

Antonia Romeo, official in charge of UK-US trade relations, named permanent secretary Read next Hague backs work visas for EU citizens after Brexit

JANUARY 10, 2017 by: George Parker Antonia Romeo, a New York-based official in charge of UK-US trade relations, has been named as the new permanent secretary of the Department for International Trade, charged with overseeing a post-Brexit export drive. Sample the FT’s top stories for a week You select the topic, we deliver the news. Select topic Enter email addressInvalid email Sign up By signing up you confirm that you have read and agree to the terms and conditions, cookie policy and privacy policy. Ms Romeo, aged 42, has impressed both Theresa May and cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood and will become one of the youngest senior civil servants in Whitehall, beating a number of private sector applicants.

Liam Fox, trade secretary, insisted on a global search to find a new head for his fledgling department, saying he wanted “an open, international recruitment” process as a sign that Britain was open for business. But Ms Romeo emerged from a big field, having impressed ministers and officials in a series of jobs, most recently overseeing the UK export drive in the US from New York. She succeeds Sir Martin Donnelly, a veteran civil servant with years of experience in Brussels, who is retiring. Sir Ivan Rogers, another seasoned EU expert, quit last week as Britain’s ambassador to the EU. Ms Romeo is said to have impressed Mrs May on visits to New York; she also hosted visits by other ministers including Mr Fox and Boris Johnson, foreign secretary.

Her experience in the US will be invaluable for Mr Fox as he seeks a trade deal with the US, although it cannot be agreed until after Brexit is complete. Mr Johnson said this week on a visit to Washington that Britain was “first in line” for a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, following meetings with Republican congressional leaders including Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan. Ms Romeo attended Oxford university and began her career in the private sector at management consultancy Oliver Wyman, where she met her husband John, the firm’s managing partner for North America. She joined the civil service as an economist in 2000. She said: “It is a privilege to have been appointed to lead the department as we work to promote the UK as an outward-facing, free-trading global nation.” The International Trade department is launching a global search for a second permanent secretary to support Ms Romeo; private sector applicants are also expected for that post.