ENGLAND / MONTSERRAT – Alba Smerglio-Heimpold has been appointed as the new permanent Development Attaché in the governor’s office. She takes over the role from Peter Reid who has been in the post for 12 months. Alba’s focus in her role will be supporting the government of Montserrat to propel the island forward in terms of inclusive and sustainable development. She will be starting her four-year post on Montserrat in March 2022.
Alba has a background in development economics and international development and is accredited to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) cadre of specialists in political economy and politics. Prior to joining the governor’s office in Montserrat, Alba was First Secretary Development in the British High Commission in Islamabad, where she has led high profile work on open and inclusive societies and development work to strengthen local resilience to climate change. She has been involved in the UK government response to the Afghanistan crisis and led reporting on the global impacts of COVID-19 on democratic governance.
Alba held various other positions in the FCDO, including deputy team leader (governance, open societies and anti-corruption department), senior research and evidence manager in the research and evidence directorate and internal audit.
Prior to joining the civil service, Alba was a university researcher in Glasgow, specialising in public sector reform, public financial management, and inclusive economic growth. Alba is fluent in Italian and Spanish and in her free time loves hiking, cooking and reading.
She is married to Konrad Heimpold (former senior auditor at PwC) who will be accompanying her to Montserrat. She is looking forward to starting her role in Montserrat, learning from local people about Montserrat’s culture, heritage and traditions.