Voices of Diplomacy: Women Shaping Global Dialogue

Houston is one of the most globally connected cities in the United States and at the heart of that global network are the women diplomats who represent their countries here. Join us for a special lunch program and panel discussion featuring the Subcommittee of Women Diplomats of the Consular Corps of Houston, a group dedicated to fostering international collaboration, elevating women’s leadership in diplomacy, and strengthening ties between Houston’s local communities and the world. Over lunch, hear directly from distinguished diplomats about how women are shaping the future of global engagement. Drawing on their diverse experiences, the panel will explore how the roles of women diplomats education, business, & public diplomacy play in the world.

Anna Hammarlund Blixt is the Consul General of Sweden in Houston, Texas. A career diplomat with extensive experience in international security and European affairs, she has held senior roles at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, including Director and Deputy Head of theDepartment for Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Export Control, and Head of Division for CSDP and Sanctions Policy. She has also served at Swedish missions in Washington, D.C., Ankara, Brussels, and NATO, working on transatlantic relations, regional security, and strategic policy. She holds a degree in political science and international relations from Uppsala University and the University of Calgary, and has completed executive programs at the Swedish Defence University and Harvard Kennedy School. She speaks Swedish, English, German, and French.

Consul General Livia Link-Raviv leads the Israeli Consulate General to the Southwest, a role she assumed in August 2021. With more than 20 years of diplomatic service, she has served as Deputy Ambassador in Venezuela, Counsellor for Public Diplomacy in Italy, and Director of the Pacific Department at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She also held senior roles in UN policy, legal affairs, and diplomatic training, shaping Israel’s approach to international cooperation and governance. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she practiced law as a mediator, specializing in family court cases. She holds a law degree and a master’s in conflict resolution from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is a member of the Israeli Bar Association. She and her husband, Etai, are the proud parents of three children.

Gabrielle is Australia’s Consul-General and Trade and Investment Commissioner to Houston, Texas. Her current sectors of focus include energy, health and space and consular remit covers the USA’s southern states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Prior to landing in Houston, Gabrielle most recently worked in Austrade’s Investment Division focused on attracting productive foreign direct investment from the Americas Region to Australia. She has also previously been A/g Trade Commissioner in Santiago, Chile and completed short-term assignments with Austrade in Mexico (2019) and Colombia (2016). Gabrielle also has deep trade experience having supported a broad range of Australian exporters with their international strategies, through her time in Austrade’s Trade Division.

Prior to joining Austrade, Gabrielle worked as a locally engaged staff member for the foreign governments of Uruguay and Chile in Australia. Gabrielle has an energetic toddler, and speaks fluent Spanish.

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