Commodore Melanie Suzanne Robinson, is a retired British senior Royal Naval Reserve officer. She was Commander of Maritime Reserves from February 2020 until retirement in July 2023.
Robinson has a degree from Cardiff University. She also has a Master of Science (MSc) degree in human resource management from the Open University.
She was commissioned in Supplementary List of the Royal Navy as a sub-lieutenant on 6 January 1993. She was appointed to the Trained Strength on 15 October 1994. Her early career was as a warfare officer, serving in a number of frigates and minor war vessels.
As commander of the Cardiff University Royal Naval Unit (now Wales URNU) and its training ship , despite her claim to be the first (https://windsorleadership.org.uk/mel-robinson-biography), she was one of the first cohort of women to command a Royal Navy patrol vessel- still a remarkable achievement, so no need to over-egg it. She transferred to the Royal Naval Reserve with the rank of commander in November 2015. She was promoted to commodore on 4 February 2020, and was then one of four women to hold that rank.
Robinson was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2022 Birthday Honours.
In 1998, she married Guy Robinson. Vice Admiral Robinson is a fellow retired Royal Navy officer whose last draft was with NATO as Chief of Staff to Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. They have two children.