Denise Holt

Dame Denise Mary Holt, DCMG (born 1 October 1949 in Vienna, Austria), née Denise Mary Mills, was British Ambassador to Mexico (2002-5) and Spain and Andorra (2007–2009). In 2011 she joined the Board of HSBC Bank plc as a Non-Executive Director. She is a Board member of Ofqual (the examinations regulator in England), a member of the NHS Pay Review Body, and Independent Chair of the nominations committee of the Alzheimer's Society. She is Chair of Trustees of the Anglo-Spanish Society, a member of the Management Council of the Canada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies at the LSE, and Robin Humphrey Fellow at the School of American Studies at the University of London. On the 20th of June 2011, Scottish Power Renewables announced in a press release that they had appointed Dame Denise to their board as a non-executive director.

Denise Holt grew up in Russia, Japan, Lebanon, Netherlands, Iran and Bulgaria. She was educated at New Hall School, Chelmsford, and Bristol University where she studied Spanish, French and Politics.

She joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1970 as Research Analyst for Spain and Portugal. Overseas postings included Ireland in 1984 where she was First Secretary of the British Embassy in Dublin, followed by a spell as Head of the Central American Section at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1988–1990). She also served as First Secretary of the British Embassy in Brazil (1991–1993). She was Deputy Head of Eastern Department, responsible for relations with newly independent countries of Central Asia and the Trans Caucasus. In London in 1996 she was appointed as Deputy Director of Human Resources in the FCO (1999–2001) and later Director. Later on in her career she also became Director for Migration and for the Overseas Territories (2005–2007) at the FCO.

Denise married David Holt in 1987 while they were both serving in the British Embassy in Ireland. They have one son named Patrick Holt.

Already a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), Holt was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in the 2009 Birthday Honours. Dame Denise was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by Bristol University in July 2012.