Charles Crawford

former Ambassador and UK Diplomat

Charles Crawford retired from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at the end of 2007 after nearly three decades in the UK Diplomatic Service

Charles Crawford CMG is the former British Ambassador to Poland (2003-2007); Serbia and Montenegro (2001-2003); and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996-1998)

A barrister and mediator, he draws on extensive experience in the UK diplomatic service, much of it tackling transition issues in former communist Europe

In his diplomatic career he served as FCO speechwriter to Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe. He has contributed to speeches by members of the Royal Family, government ministers and many others in public and commercial life

He played a significant role in post-conflict reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the war crimes problem; in coordinating international support for democratic change in Serbia, Kosovo and Croatia; and in helping negotiate the 2005 EU Budget deal and 2007 EU Lisbon Treaty

Since leaving the FCO in 2007 he has worked as a communication consultant, delivering acclaimed masterclasses for private and public sector clients including the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

He is a frequent commentator on international issues appearing on BBC, Sky, ITV and CNN; he has written for the Independent, Guardian, Daily Mail, Sun, National Review Online, Radio Free Europe and DIPLOMAT.  He is on the Daily Telegraph comment team

His book on leadership and public speaking Speeches for Leaders was published in 2016

In 2016 he won a Cicero Award for a speech delivered by Sir John Sawers, former Chief of MI6. In 2017 he won another Cicero Award for a speech about funerals

He speaks (varying levels) Serbian/Bosnian, Polish, French, Russian and Afrikaans

He is married with three children and lives near Oxford in England