Sir John Sawers is a leading figure of politics and security, building such a reputation after working for the Secret Intelligence Service. With a long history in politics, first joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office back in the 1970s, John is now frequently booked as a keynote speaker to discuss both domestic and international politics at events. With a number of political roles under his belt, John is sought to cover additional topics such as geopolitics, Brexit and cybersecurity.
Best known as the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, John has been involved in various high-profile security cases. During his tenure as the Chief, John was involved in The Iraq Inquiry and the Syrian Civil War commended for his commitment to security with an appointment as GCMG during the 2015 New Years Honours. He is also well known for being the Foreign Affairs Advisor during Tony Blair’s tenure as Prime Minister, the Director-General for Political Affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the HM Ambassador to Egypt.
In the early days of his career, John was educated at the University of Nottingham, St Andrews, Harvard and Witwatersrand universities. After completing his studies, John began work at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where he became a Political Officer in Damascus for MI6. He later went on to work in Tony Blair’s government as the Foreign Affairs Advisor, working on things such as the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Good Friday Agreement. John has also formerly acted as the British Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Upon retiring from the Secret Intelligence Service, John moved on to become Chairman of Macro Advisory Partners. He has also worked as the Executive Chairman of Newbridge Advisory and has visited as a professor in the Department of War Studies for the King’s College in London. Later appointed as the Non-Executive Director of BP Global, John now dedicates time to performing as a keynote speaker for events. His time in various political roles has allowed him to build detailed knowledge of international affairs, geopolitics, cybersecurity, 21st-century warfare and the impact of Brexit. An intellectual speaker, Sir John Sawers is the perfect choice for a range of corporate events.
