Rt Hon Baroness (Catherine) Ashton LG GCMG

Baroness Catherine Ashton is a diplomat and politician who served as the inaugural High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and First Vice President of the European Commission. She created the European External Action Service, overseeing 140 diplomatic missions and eight military operations, and chaired the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Councils of the EU. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work brokering the agreement to normalise relations between Serbia and Kosovo, and she was the first British woman to serve as an EU Commissioner, holding the Trade portfolio.

Catherine explores international diplomacy, negotiation under pressure, and consensus-building in complex geopolitical environments. Drawing from her experience leading the P5+1 talks on Iran's nuclear programme, and brokering the Serbia-Kosovo agreement, she examines how to navigate high-stakes negotiations and build trust across divided parties. Having been involved in managing crises from Egypt's revolutions to the Ukraine conflict, and developing comprehensive approaches that combine defence, diplomacy and development, she addresses the challenges of representing multiple stakeholders. As well as examining the current geopolitical situation, her insights focus on achieving outcomes when failure seems inevitable and maintaining consensus under pressure.

Catherine's political career began as a life peer and Minister in the Department of Education, and later in the Department for Constitutional Affairs. She became Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Privy Council, responsible for the entire government legislative programme. As EU Trade Commissioner, she completed negotiations on a trade deal with South Korea, and resolved high-profile cases with the US. As EU High Representative, Catherine led negotiations that secured the Brussels agreement between Serbia and Kosovo. She represented the UN Security Council in negotiations with Iran, and led EU engagement in Egypt and Ukraine during critical periods. She also oversaw military missions including Atalanta, which destroyed 95 per cent of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Having dealt directly with some of the world’s most influential leaders, including Presidents Putin and Xi, and the most challenging crises and conflicts, Catherine brings insight and analysis to global events few others can. Noted for her calm and human approach to diplomacy, she examines the personalities as well as the policies and priorities shaping the world. Alongside her parliamentary work, she teaches negotiation at the Oxford Saïd Business School, is a senior adviser to Eurasia Group, and is a distinguished fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC. She is also the author of And Then What? Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy, an exploration of the necessarily secretive world of diplomacy and international negotiation.