Sir Christopher Meyer

Sir Christopher Meyer was almost 40 years in the British Diplomatic
Service. His career culminated as Ambassador to the United States
during the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush presidencies. His five
and a half years in Washington, which made him the longest-serving
Ambassador to the USA since the Second World War, coincided with
9/11, the war in Afghanistan and the preparation for war in Iraq.

Before then he was Ambassador to Germany and had postings to
Russia, Spain and the European Union in Brussels. He was also Press
Secretary to Prime Minister John Major, Foreign Office Spokesman,
and speech writer to three Foreign Secretaries.

Sir Christopher was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 1998.

After his retirement from the Diplomatic Service in 2003, Sir
Christopher chaired the Press Complaints Commission for six years
until March 2009.

Sir Christopher is now a regular television, radio and newspaper
commentator on international affairs and the media. In 2005 he
published DC Confidential, a memoir of his time in the Diplomatic
Service. His latest book, Getting Our Way: 500 Years of Adventure
and Intrigue: the Inside Story of British Diplomacy, was published last
year and accompanied a three-part TV series for BBC4. He has also
recently broadcast a documentary series on the Press for BBC Radio
4, called the The Watchdog and the Feral Beast.

Sir Christopher is an Honorary Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and
a visiting Professor at the University of North Carolina. He is a non-
executive director of the Arbuthnot Banking Group; a member of the
international advisory board of Fleishman-Hillard; and a member of
the executive committee of The Pilgrims. He is a Freeman of the City
of London and member of the Worshipful Company of Stationers.

Sir Christopher is married to Catherine, who is Chair and Chief
Executive of the international children’s charity, PACT (Parents and Abducted Children Together). They have four sons between them)