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Consular Conversations OTP: United Kingdom
January 28, 2026
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
Despite a testy week in transatlantic relations, attendees at Global Atlanta‘s late-January Consular Conversation with British Consul General Rachel Galloway came away with an up-close view of how the vaunted “Special Relationship,” when calibrated correctly, can lead to shared prosperity on both sides of the pond.
See the full Global Atlanta story here: Football, Fintech and a Trillion in Trade: British Consul General on Why It’s Vital to Safeguard the ‘Special Relationship’
Presented by Miller & Martin PLLC and hosted by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, interview amounted to a master class on diplomacy from the former British ambassador to North Macedonia. She forcefully praised NATO, saying it was an affront to allies to
Walking through her own career in far-flung conflict zones, Ms. Galloway gave an unvarnished view of both the frustrations (and the necessity) of searching for international consensus on sometimes-intractable global problems.
She also underscored the importance of NATO at a time when the U.S. is seen as questioning the alliance, and affirmed the allies’ unity on issues of economic and supply chain resiliency even as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was en route to China.
Approaching the 250th anniversary of American independence, the U.K. harbors no nostalgia, she said, netting some laughs from nearly 100 guests in attendance at the sixth OTP edition of the series. The relationship has improved quite a bit since the U.K. opened its first consulate in Savannah in the early 1800s.
“It’s a real opportunity to look back and say that the things that kind of divided us 250 years ago — freedom, liberty — are actually the things that we together work on around the world. So we sell it as the greatest reconciliation in history.”
The Manchester native and avid football fan also talked about how soccer fluency has grown in the U.S. since her appointment in Washington 20 years ago.
Back then, the cab drivers were mum when they heard her accent. Today? They want her to indulge in Man City vs. Man United debates.
British football (and the sports tech niche that the U.K. has carve out) have made an impact in Atlanta, with the Premier League’s summer series bringing international contests that have contributed to the city’s emergence as a global soccer center.
Ms. Galloway and her team are looking forward to the spotlight that this year’s FIFA World Cup will bring to the Southeast via Atlanta, with eight matches set to take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That includes matches in the round of 32 and a semifinal, both of which could feature England — if all goes well.
Presented By:
Hosted by:
Speakers
MODERATOR:
Trevor Williams,
Managing Editor, Global Atlanta
Add the panelist bio
FEATURED SPEAKER:
Rachel Galloway, Consul General of the United Kingdom in Atlanta
His Majesty’s Consul General Rachel Galloway is the head of post at the British Consulate General in Atlanta. Consul General Galloway came to Atlanta following a three-year tour as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia. In her 25 year career at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, she headed the Neighbourhoods Team, UK Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels, and she was Deputy Head of the International Organisations Department. In the 2000s, Galloway served a tour in the Washington DC Embassy; followed by development and reconstruction posts in conflicted places in Afghanistan. Currently, her role as the Consul General for the Atlanta British Consulate leads a team that works to promote UK-US trade and investment, support British nationals, conduct public diplomacy on key issues and build scientific and research cooperation.
“I’ve never seen Bridgerton or The Diplomat or Downton Abbey, so I’m sure they’re all great and accurate, but I’ve never seen them.”
–Ms. Galloway when asked whether The Diplomat was an accurate portrayal of her professional life.
“There have also been issues where I’ve spent a lot of time pushing back, where we have fought and fought and fought and fought because we did not believe that doing the thing that we were being asked to do would give the outcome that (London) wanted, and that the risk was too great in pushing it. Sometimes you succeed and sometimes you fail, but that’s being civil servant.”
-On how to handle as a diplomat being asked to push for government positions one may not personally agree with
“One time, I was having a drink with (an older Lithuanian colleague in Brussels), and he said to me, ‘When I was conscripted into the Soviet Army…’ And I thought, Yeah, when you were conscripted into the Soviet Army, you’ve got views on this.”
-On how European countries have a different view on the war in Ukraine than the U.S.
I think it is unhelpful in Europe to downplay the sacrifice. Obviously the U.S. lost a lot of people in Afghanistan, a lot of soldiers, but per capita, it was actually countries like Estonia who lost the most soldiers.
ms. Galloway on European Reaction to president Donald trump’s remarks on NATO allies’ sacrifices
