Simona Leskovar

Ambassador - Bled Strategic Forum Programme Director

Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, Slovenia

Simona Leskovar has been appointed Programme Director of the Bled Strategic Forum in September 2024. Until August 2024, she was Ambassador of Slovenia to the UK and Permanent Representative to the IMO. Prior to this appointment, she was State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia. Ambassador Leskovar is a career diplomat with 28 years of service in Slovenian diplomacy. She has served as Ambassador in Japan and Republic of Korea, Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, and in Washington DC. Ambassador Leskovar held the position of EU adviser to the Foreign Minister during the first Slovenian EU Presidency (2008). She was later Director of Young Bled Strategic Forum (2015) and National Focal Point for Responsibility-to-Protect. She initiated the MFA programme 'Young Ambassadors', a mentoring project to encourage young women to consider a career in diplomacy and international relations. Ambassador Leskovar was awarded as Diplomat of the Year from Europe 2024 for her outstanding work and achievements in London.