Lucy Duncan
Acting Deputy Chief Executive - People and Operations Group
Lucy Duncan is Deputy Chief Executive for the People and Operations Group taking up this role, in an acting capacity, in February 2025.
Lucy served most recently as Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva and New Zealand’s Disarmament Ambassador (2020-2024). Immediately prior to that she was Ambassador to Colombia, opening the Embassy in Bogotá in 2018, accredited to Ecuador. Other assignments in Latin America include Ambassador to Argentina (2006-2009), accredited to Uruguay and Paraguay and Charge d'Affaires a.i. in Mexico (2017).
Lucy has held two previous roles in the Senior Leadership Team of MFAT, as Deputy Secretary for multilateral and legal affairs (2015-2016) and Group Manager for strategy and governance (2012-2015) during which period she was also the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to Spanish-speaking countries during New Zealand’s campaign for the United Nations Security Council, and Acting Deputy Secretary for Australia, Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
She has led the Environment and Operational Planning and Performance divisions in the Ministry and served as Deputy in Posts in Singapore, Geneva and Vienna.
Lucy has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in history from the University of Otago (1982) and was an Executive Fellow at the Australia/New Zealand School of Government in 2013.