Transparency International UK is delighted to announce that Katherine Dixon will be joining the team as Programme Director of the global Defence and Security Programme this spring.

Dixon was formerly the Private Secretary to the UK Foreign Secretary. She has a background in counter proliferation and nuclear threat reduction. As the head of State Programmes team in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Counter Proliferation Department, she designed strategies to prevent proliferation and illegal arms sales. Prior to that, she spent four years as the British Consul in Shanghai, and two years as a political analyst in the Ministry of Defence.

“The abuse of power in the defence and security sectors is a critical threat to global peace and stability,” Dixon said. “Transparency International's Defence and Security Programme has played a tremendous role in bringing together governments, defence companies and civil society to tackle corruption and build strong, transparent state institutions. I am delighted to be joining them.”

She will be taking over the post from Mark Pyman, who has led it for the past ten years.

TI-UK Executive Director Robert Barrington said “Katherine’s background in foreign affairs and global security is a great fit for our Defence & Security team.  After a decade of successful engagement in this most sensitive of areas, we look forward to the skills and experience she will bring to the role.”

Dixon has a degree from Cambridge, a Masters in Chinese Studies from SOAS, speaks fluent Mandarin and holds an MBE.

She will join TI-UK on 1 March, and take over as Programme Director on 30 April.