Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles
KCMG, LVO
Honorary Fellow
Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles read Classics at Hertford College.
He entered the Foreign Office in 1977, where he enjoyed a 30-year career, holding a string of high-profile diplomat stations both overseas and in the UK. One of the most respected authorities on foreign affairs in the country, his overseas postings include Beirut, Alexandria and Cairo, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Washington, Paris, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He was Principal Private Secretary to Robin Cook, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1999–2001), then the UK’s Ambassador in Israel (2001-2003), Saudi Arabia (2003-2006), and Afghanistan (2007-2009).
He then took up a new role as special representative of the UK Foreign Secretary to Afghanistan and Pakistan, before leaving government service. He subsequently joined BAE Systems and is currently a Senior Adviser to the Group Chairman and the Group Chief Executive of HSBC.
His first book – Cables from Kabul: The Inside Story of the West’s Afghanistan Campaign – chronicling his diplomatic tenure in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was published to great acclaim. His second book Ever the Diplomat: Confessions of a Foreign Office Mandarin was published in 2012.