Sir Hugh Robertson KCMG

Hugh Robertson has served as Minister of State in the Foreign Office, and was Minister for the Olympics, responsible for overseeing day-to-day preparation and the delivery of the entire London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic project.

After university Hugh joined the military, serving as an officer in the Life Guards. He saw active service in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, the Gulf and Bosnia, where he oversaw the British contingent in Sarajevo during the siege of the city. After leaving the army he joined Schroeder’s Investment Management, working in the property division and as Assistant Director.

Hugh was then elected MP for Faversham and Mid-Kent, a constituency he would serve for over a decade. In Parliament he was a party Whip, and Shadow Sports and Olympic Minister. After the 2010 election he became Sports and Olympic Minster, overseeing preparation and execution of arguably the highest-profile and most complex public event the UK has ever hosted, the London 2012 Games. After almost 12 years with the sports brief, Hugh moved to the Foreign Office.

After leaving Parliament, Hugh became acting Chair of the British Olympic Association, eventually replacing Seb Coe permanently in that role, in which he served for a further ten years. He also served as chair of Camelot and Birmingham Airport, and is a member of the International Olympic Committee. With a career taking in military leadership, commerce, cross-party negotiations, dealing with private and public partners at home and abroad, Hugh has a wealth of stories and insights. Covering everything from the workings of politics to running complex organisations to the perils of working with Boris Johnson, he provides an entertaining and instructive analysis.