Sir John Sawers

Fee Band


Before becoming Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service Sir John worked around the world in diplomatic and security postings, including spells as the Foreign Office‘s Desk Officer in the EU Department, Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair, and British Permanent Representative at the UN. His time at MI6 was marked by leading a service whose reputation had been damaged by the Iraq war and the Snowden affair, whilst also charged with tackling new technological and ideological threats.


Biography

Sir John Sawers served as the Chief of MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, for five years. A former diplomat and civil servant, he’s also served as the British Permanent Representative at the UN, as well a number of roles at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Joining the FCO after studying in the UK, South Africa and at Harvard, Sir John was stationed in Syria and Yemen. He was MI6’s Political Officer in Damascus before returning to the Foreign Office as Desk Officer in the EU Department. He returned to South Africa, this this time during the country’s transition from apartheid to democratic rule. His second stint working in Europe saw a period dominated by conflicts in the Middle East and Bosnia as well as debate over the UK’s role in Europe.

In the US Sir John led the Foreign and Defence policy team at the British Embassy in Washington. He returned to the UK as Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair working on, amongst other issues, the Northern Ireland peace process, the Kosovo War, and Iraq. He was then appointed UK Ambassador to Egypt and later Special Representative in Baghdad.

Back in the UK again Sir John was Director General for Political Affairs at the FCO, advising the Foreign Secretary on global political and security issues and dealing with G8, EU and UN partners. He also headed the British delegation in the EU/Iran nuclear programme negotiations before becoming the British Permanent Representative at the UN. He then served a five-year term as the Chief of MI6 during a period covering the rise of ISIS, the Syrian civil war, the rise of cyber warfare and tensions with Russia. Whilst in post, he delivered the first ever public speech by a serving MI6 Chief when he addressed the Society of Editors touching on human rights, secrecy and the difficult choices the service had to make. Sir John continues to commentate on the geopolitical and intelligence climate, covering Europe, the US, Russia, China and the Middle East. Commercially, he advises energy and financial services companies on risk and security issues. He also considers the wider lessons from his time at MI6 where he was faced with an organisation reluctant to change but damaged by a loss of public trust and facing new technological challenges.

 

 

© Copyright 2024 JLA. All rights reserved.

Contact

We’re on hand to help you find the perfect speaker, presenter or performer for your events. Call or email our London office and use our agents' experience to expertly match you with the right person for your programme!


From time to time we send out emails announcing new speakers and free tickets to our showcase events including Speakers Breakfasts and the JLA Real Variety Show. Please tick the box below if you would like to receive these emails.

Don't miss anything!

We will never share the data you submit here with a third party. Information is stored in a database in order to service your enquiry, but is deleted once it is no longer required. You may request to have this data removed at any time.

JLA Presents


Event - 30/04/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Understanding AI Now

Speakers
Priya Lakhani, Anne-Marie Imafidon, and Neil Lawrence

Please join us in our JLab studio near Oxford Circus at 08:30am on Tuesday 30th April for our next speaker’s breakfast event. Following our sell-out event for IWD back in February, we will be joined by three fantastic speakers for an exploration of the uses, myths and concerns surrounding AI.

Location

JLA, 14 Berners Street, London

WATCH

Event - 06/02/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Looking Ahead to International Women’s Day

Speakers
Samira Ahmed, Eniola Aluko, Julia Gillard, and Alex Mahon

We were joined by four fantastic speakers to look ahead at International Women’s Day. With the theme of this year’s event being #InspireInclusion, we were lucky enough to hear from four women who have each blazed a trail in their respective fields: CEO of Channel 4, Alex Mahon; the former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of Kings’ Global Institute of Women’s Leadership, Julia Gillard; one of the leading voices in football, Eniola Aluko MBE; and broadcaster and journalist, Samira Ahmed.

Location

Bishopsgate Institute, London

WATCH