Catherine Ashton

“Later unable to sleep I thought about the journey that had led me here. Twice I’ve been asked to take on roles I’ve not look for or expected despite strong reservations, twice I’ve said yes. Why? Partly because of prime minister had asked me to and I believed in public service as simple as that. That remained just as true when the government changed. And partly because in each case by the time I realised what was happening my appointment was effectively a done deal that would be difficult to get out of. But also because I wanted to do it. Throughout my career there have not been many appointments for women in public life. And in both these cases I would be the first woman to hold the post. Yet personally I felt no exhilaration at a prospect of taking up this new job, I was more aware than anyone that I came with few obvious credentials and lukewarm support if that from many quarters even in my own country.”
― Catherine Ashton, And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy