THE RT. HON. LORD WATSON OF RICHMOND CBE

Lord Watson was Chairman of CTN Communications and before that for over 10 years was the European Chairman of Burson Marsteller in which capacity he advised many major UK and international companies on their communication strategies. In broadcasting, Alan was a regular presenter with the BBC program “The Money Programme” on BBC2 and “Panorama” on BBC1. He also reported on LWTV, Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, and wrote and presented award winning documentaries over many years. A former President of the Liberal Party, he was appointed CBE in 1985 and created a Life Peer in 1999. He served as a Member of the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union.

Chairman of the English-Speaking Union for many years, he is now International Chairman Emeritus and was awarded their Churchill Medal. He served as Chairman of the Council of Commonwealth Societies and a member of the Executive Committee of the Pilgrims. He was Co–Chair of the Jamestown 1607–2007 British Committee as well as being the Chairman of the Commonwealth Committee for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. In December 2009, Lord Watson was elected to the office of High Steward of the University of Cambridge. At Cambridge, Alan Watson studied history at Jesus College where he is now an Honorary Fellow. He was Chairman of the Cambridge Foundation, and is a Life Patron of The Churchill Archives at Churchill College Cambridge. Before his retirement to Somerset in 2020, Alan held a wide range of chairmanships and honorary posts at Universities in Britain and abroad. Lord Watson is married and has two sons living with their families in London and Brussels.