Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 12: The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), in an official circular issued on Wednesday, announced the appointment of former Joint Secretary of the Office of Tibet in London, Lobsang Choedon Samten, as the new Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the CTA to the United Kingdom, succeeding incumbent Representative Tsering Yangkyi, who has been appointed Director of the Tibet Policy Institute (TPI).
The appointments were made in accordance with Article 19(1) of the Public Service Commission’s rules and regulations, which stipulate that representatives to foreign countries are selected through a process involving the CTA President and his Cabinet ministries, before being formally appointed by the Cabinet and conferred the title of Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Lobsang Choedon Samten is scheduled to assume her new responsibilities on January 4, 2027. Her appointment marks a milestone, as she becomes the third Tibetan woman to serve as the Dalai Lama’s Representative to the United Kingdom.
The Office of Tibet in London represents the interests of the Tibetan people and the Central Tibetan Administration across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Northern Europe and the Baltic States.
Meanwhile, Tsering Yangkyi, the outgoing Representative to the UK, will take charge as Director of the Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) on January 11, 2027.
Born on June 15, 1971, in Mundgod Tibetan Settlement in South India, she began her career with the CTA in 1996 as an Under Secretary in the Department of Religion and Culture. Over nearly three decades of public service, she has held several senior administrative and leadership positions across various departments of the CTA.
Her career progression includes serving as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Religion and Culture in 1999, Joint Secretary in the Department of Finance in 2007, and Joint Secretary in the Department of Health in 2008. In 2012, she was appointed Director of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA).
She subsequently served as Additional Secretary at the TPI in 2014 and at the Department of Information and International Relations in 2016. In 2018, she was appointed Director of the TPI, before being transferred in 2019 to serve as Secretary of the Tibetan Election and Public Service Commission, a position she held until 2024.
