Clive Beddall Sylvia Jay, wife of the British ambassador to Paris, Sir Michael Jay, is to be the new director general of the Food and Drink Federation. She will succeed Michael Mackenzie, who retires at the end of the year. Her appointment is a surprise choice, as it had been widely predicted that a senior industry figure from the manufacturing sector would win the much coveted, six figure salary post. FDF president Peter Blackburn says Jay is "exactly the right person to take the FDF into the future." Current director general Michael Mackenzie, who joined the FDF 14 years ago from United Biscuits, where he was md of Crawfords, is widely regarded as one of the food industry's shrewdest lobbyists and tacticians in Whitehall and Brussels. In the advertisements seeking his successor, the FDF said it wanted someone with "diplomatic skills and a pragmatic approach to lobbying". A former senior civil servant, Sylvia Jay has held several key positions within the Overseas Development Administration (now DFID) and was seconded for a time to the French Treasury. She has experience of a number of international organisations, including the European Union and was political director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Blackburn added: "Sylvia joins at an important time both for the industry and for the Federation. "Her experience in economic and regulatory affairs, and her knowledge of UK and EU government, make her uniquely qualified to represent the industry at a time of great change." {{NEWS }}