We are pleased to announce that Sir Simon Fraser GCMG, Managing Partner of Flint Global, will take up the role of the first Honorary President of the British Foreign Policy Group (BFPG), with immediate effect.

Sir Simon brings to the role an unusual combination of private sector, diplomatic and not for profit expertise.  He established Flint Global in 2015, a business advisory firm which has rapidly emerged as a highly respected source of practical expertise and support in many sectors.  Sir Simon is also one of the founding trustees of the Patchwork Foundation, a newly established charity which works to promote and encourage the positive integration of under-represented, deprived and minority communities into British democracy and civil society. He is also Deputy Chairman of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House).

In his public service career, Sir Simon was the Head of the UK Foreign Office and Diplomatic Service, and before that he led the UK Department for Business and held a succession of senior roles in the British Government and the European Commission. He was the UK Civil Service Champion for Inclusion and Diversity.

Tom Cargill, Executive Director of the BFPG said: “The UK has rarely been so in need of a mature, inclusive national conversation about our place in the world and our international ambitions as a country. This is the purpose of the British Foreign Policy Group. Welcoming Simon as Honorary President will enable us to take our work to a new level through his extensive experience of business, diplomacy, public policy and inclusion.

Sir Simon Fraser said: “I’m delighted to take up this honorary role with BFPG. It is time for an open, realistic, evidence-led and genuinely diverse national debate about our place in the world and how we can flourish in changing circumstances. BFPG aims to reach beyond traditional policy circles, because we all have a stake and a voice in our national security, prosperity and influence. We want as many people as possible to contribute to  seeking answers to the challenges we face and creating opportunities.’

Simon will subsequently be joined by two further Honorary Presidents with complementary backgrounds and skills.