Stephanie Ashmore

Director of Trade and Investment, Taiwan at Department for Business and Trade (DBT)

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Director of Trade and Investment, Taiwan, Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
Policy Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy

Stephanie is currently posted in Taipei, Taiwan, as Director of Trade and Investment. Taiwan is the hub in Asia Pacific for the offshore wind industry, with ambitious green growth targets. Taiwan also has a crucial role in semiconductor technology supply chains.

She is passionate about promoting the UK’s international reputation as a science and tech superpower and devising policy enhancing the UK’s competitiveness. She joined the fellowship to think differently about policy challenges and bring multidisciplinary perspectives to inform the broader context of policy making.

Dialogue and cooperation between the public and private sector and the academic and research community are key to development of strong science and innovation and trade and investment policy.
Stephanie joined the civil service in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in 2017 as Head of International Strategy and Engagement where she developed the department’s international strategy post EU-Exit, encompassing artificial intelligence and emerging technology, data, cyber policy and engagement multilaterally via the G7 and G20 and bilaterally with the US and China.

She studied physiological sciences at university and has a long-standing interest in science, technology and innovation. She participated in the US Department of State’s International Visitors Leadership digital economy and cyber programme in 2019.

Prior to this, Stephanie founded the British Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar in 2014 and subsequently led the World Bank’s private sector engagement on economic reform with the new democratically-elected Myanmar government.

Stephanie holds a degree in Physiological Sciences from the University of Oxford (Somerville, 2002).

Stephanie will start a new role from August 2024 and will be Director US and Americas, Science & Innovation Network, based in Washington DC. The Science & Innovation Network (SIN) is a unique part of the UK’s overseas footprint. It is a global network that works to build international science and innovation partnerships which benefit UK policy, research or deep-tech business interests. The network works to ensure that UK stakeholders are accessing the best science, technology and innovation around the world, and that the UK takes a co-ordinated approach to science-based global challenges.