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Past Event
Seminar

Beyond 007: Sir John Sawers on Updating Intelligence for the 21st Century

Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

Please join Future of Diplomacy Project and the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship for a conversation with Sir John Sawers, former head of the United Kingdom’s MI6 (Secret Intelligence Service), about the role of intelligence gathering in the 21st century.  We will discuss implications for intelligence gathering and surveillance in the 21st century given the shifting nature of the post-World War II framework of security alliances.  Other topics for this conversation include; the role of the intelligence community in shaping foreign policy, possible implications of Brexit on intelligence cooperation in Europe, and future prospects for the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The discussion is co-hosted by the Diplomacy Professional Interest Council and the British and Irish Caucus, and will be moderated by Helen Zhang, MC/MPA 2020 candidate and Australian foreign service officer.

Date: Time: - Location: Taubman Building - Nye A, 5th Floor
Sir John Sawers

ABOUT

Sir John Sawers is Executive Chairman of Newbridge Advisory, a firm he founded in 2019 to advise corporate leaders on geopolitics and political risk.  He is also a Non-Executive Director of BP. 

Sir John has 36 years of experience in diplomacy and intelligence, culminating in five years as Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) until he left public service in 2014.

As MI6 Chief, he was a member of the UK National Security Council and the Joint Intelligence Committee, contributing to the strategies and policy decisions on how to promote and protect British interests around the World.  He led the Service through a period of international political upheaval and high terrorist threat, including against the 2012 London Olympics.  He also modernised the way the Service works and created a more open approach to public accountability.

Prior to leading MI6 he was the UK’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Political Director of the Foreign Office, Special Representative in Iraq, Ambassador to Cairo and Foreign Policy Adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair.   In his earlier career he worked overseas in Yemen, Syria, South Africa and Washington, and at home was involved in policy on the EU, Russia and the Middle East.

Sir John became Chairman and Partner at Macro Advisory Partners following his career in public service, which he left in 2019 to set up his own company, Newbridge Advisory.

He studied at the universities of Nottingham, St Andrews and Harvard. In addition to his corporate work, he has pro bono roles with King’s College London, Chatham House, the Royal United Services Institute, the Bilderberg Association, the Ditchley Foundation and Sevenoaks School.

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Helen Zhang is a Fulbright Scholar and MCMPA 2020 Candidate.  Before HKS, Helen was an Australian Foreign Service Officer and served in Beijing, Tel Aviv (covering Ramallah) and most recently in Hong Kong, where she was Consul (Political/Economic).  During her diplomatic career, Helen worked on international security (Syrian Civil War, Iran Nuclear Deal, nuclear proliferation and counterterrorism), trade negotiations (Australia’s Free-Trade Agreements with Japan, China, ROK, the EU and in RCEP) and other multilateral issues (UN Security Council, cyber-security and international legal disputes). Prior to the Foreign Service, Helen practiced as a commercial lawyer (Banking & Finance) for an international law firm in China.