Catherine Raines has been named as the new chief executive of UK Trade and Investment.
Raines is currently director general of the Chinese arm of UKTI, the government department responsible for trying to boost overseas investment and help British firms to win business abroad.
She has previously worked for pharmaceuticals firm AstraZeneca and served as a non-executive on the boards of the Land Registry, the Whitehall and Industry Group, and the Criminal Records Bureau.
Taking up post in September, Raines will succeed Dominic Jermey, who is moving on to a new role as international counter-extremism coordinator for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). Jermey has previous FCO experience, having served as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2010 to 2014.
Commenting on the changes, trade minister Lord Maude said: "I am hugely grateful to Dominic for his leadership of UKTI, and wish him every success in his vital new role. I look forward to working with Catherine, who comes with a high reputation for leading change in both public and private sectors."
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