Antigua and Barbuda’s High Commissioner to the UK, Karen-Mae Hill, a diplomat
who used her degree as a springboard to a successful career has returned to the
University of Leicester to receive an Honorary Doctorate degree.
Karen-Mae Hill OBE was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws during a
graduation ceremony, held at De Montfort Hall, in Leicester, last Thursday.
A barrister by profession, HC Hill worked for over 15 years in the banking and
financial services sector before taking up her appointment as High Commissioner
of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017. She also serves as that country’s non-resident
ambassador to Ireland, Germany, Estonia and Lithuania.
In 2001, she won a scholarship to study for an LLB in French Law and Language
at the University of Leicester. After graduation, she became the first Antiguan to
win a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, where she read Development Studies.
HC Hill said: “Leicester is home to a large and dynamic Antiguan and Barbudan
diaspora who contribute to the rich cultural, social and economic tapestry of the
county. My time at the University were among my happiest days with lifelong
friendships and academic rigour which have helped to shape my life. I am
honoured to be recognised for this honour.”
Alongside her diplomatic work, the HC plays a key role on the international
steering committee for the development of the Centre for Oceanography and the
Blue Economy at the University of the West Indies Five Islands campus on
Antigua and Barbuda. An accomplished pianist, she is the founder and chair of the
Antigua and Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra. The diplomat has also
developed a successful exchange programme for young cricketers between clubs in
the UK and Antigua and Barbuda.
HC Hill is a fellow of Goodenough College and a non-executive director of the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She was awarded Diplomat of the Year for North
America and the Caribbean in the 2023 Diplomatic Awards. She is also currently
president of the Bureau International Des Expositions (BIE) Administration and
Budget Committee.
She serves as a director of the Heritage Trust (Antigua and Barbuda) which is
focused on the restoration of the historic Government House in Antigua. She was
instrumental in securing a multi-millio pound grant to build the Harrison Centre
Institute for Continuing Studies in Antigua. She is also a disability rights advocate
and worked with the Commonwealth Secretariat to host two IamAble conferences
in Antigua and Barbuda. The conferences focused on access to employment,
education, healthcare and political participation for persons with disabilities in the
Caribbean.
HC Hill’s areas of professional interest are financial services regulation, the blue
economy, trade, and advocacy around the recognition of the inherent
vulnerabilities of small states, and she is a widely sought-after speaker in these
areas. She has adopted the empowerment of youth, persons with disabilities, and
music as a force for social mobility and harmony as her areas of social focus
She was awarded the OBE in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List for services to
youth and the arts.
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, Professor Nishan
Canagarajah, said: “I am delighted that we have honoured one of our own
graduates, Dr Karen-Mae Hill, as an exemplar for our community.
“Through her achievements, Dr Hill practically demonstrates what it is to be a
Citizen of Change. Her accomplishments provide a measure of the impact that an
individual can have upon society and serve as an inspiration for us all.”
