Karen Betts OBE has been Chief Executive of the Food and Drink Federation since 2021, representing the UK’s food and soft drink manufacturing industry. Prior to this, she was the Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association for four years, representing the Scotch Whisky sector in the UK and export markets worldwide. Before joining the SWA, Karen was a diplomat in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for 16 years, where she held a variety of posts in London and overseas, including as British Ambassador to Morocco and Counsellor to the British Embassy in Washington. She was also posted to the UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels and to the British Embassy in Baghdad. In London, she served in the Cabinet Office and for the Joint Intelligence Committee, as well as in several roles in the Foreign Office. Before joining Government, she was a lawyer at Clifford Chance, working in London and Hong Kong. Karen was an Adviser to the UK Government’s Board of Trade from 2019-2024. She’s a trustee of FareShare/The Felix Project, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity. She received an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2022 for services to international trade.