In John Kampfner’s 40+ year career, he has sat as a member of the council for King’s College London, as Chair for the Clore Social Leadership Programme (a charity nurturing the next generation of charity leaders), and worked as Executive Director at Chatham House.

In 2008, he was a founder chair for the Turner Contemporary, one of the UK’s leading art galleries; and in 2014 he founded Creative Industries Federation, a national membership organisation for all of the UK’s creative industries.

In 2021, he produced a three-part series of long reads for Chatham House looking at the systemic rivalry between the US, Russia, and China, specialising in vaccine competition, the climate test, and popularity wars. Then in 2022, he set up the “UK in the World” programme for Chatham House.

He has been an external advisor on freedom of expression to Google, has run Index on Censorship, a long-established organisation that champions global censorship, and chaired an event to mark the 10th anniversary of Turner Contemporary in 2021.

MEDIA

He can frequently be seen on the BBC, covering some of the biggest news stories including the rise of Vladimir Putin, the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe, conflicts in the Middle East, and the fight against right-wing populism.

He has made many programmes for BBC television, BBC Radio 4, and BBC World Service over the years, including The Ugly War, a documentary on the Israel-Palestine conflict in 2002, for which he won the Foreign Press Association award for Film of the Year and Journalist of the Year.

He has also spoken about Costa Rica’s Quakers, the shooting of Robert Fico, Afghan refugees, the Lenin Museum in Finland, Slovia, anti-Semitic statues, China and the West, Germany, firm leadership, Syria, terrorism threats, North and South Korea, Iraq, Putin, and Angela Merkel for BBC World, and BBC Radio 4.

WRITING

John Kampfner has a wide range of experience writing for publications; he has worked as a foreign correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, and The Financial Times. He was the Editor of the New Statesman from 2005 to 2008, taking the magazine to a 30-year circulation high.

He has published a number of bestselling books:

– Inside Yeltsin’s Russia: Corruption, Conflict, Capitalism (1994) – an account of the early years of post-Communism.

– Blair’s Wars (2003) – a study of Tony Blair’s interventionist foreign policy, which is now a frequent text in schools.

– The Rich: From Slaves to Super-Yachts: A 2,000 Year History (2015)- a fascinating history of how economic elites from ancient Egypt to the present day have gained and spent their money.

– Freedom For Sale: How We Made Money and Lost Our Liberty (2009) – an analysis of the seeming abandonment of liberty in the names of capitalism and democracy. It was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize.

– Why the Germans Do It Better: Notes From a Grown-Up Country (2020) – Mixing personal anecdotes with compelling evidence, John explores the country that many in the West still love to hate. The book was a Sunday Times bestseller, and was Book of the Year in The Guardian, The Economist, and The New Statesman.

– In Search of Berlin: The Story of a Reinvented City (2023) – A new way of looking at the turbulent city in its never-ending journey of reinvention. It was voted a Waterstones best history book of the year, and longlisted for the 2024 Ondaatje Prize.

KEYNOTE TOPICS

International Political Tensions: The Threat and Opportunities For Global Business: This talk explores the intentions of China, Russia, and other global hostile forces. What are the next steps? What should the West do?

The Germans: All You Need to Know About the EU’s Powerhouse in the Midst of a Generational Change: The Germans are praised for their engineering skills, exporting prowess, and R&D. But they’ve fallen behind on innovation and digitisation. In this keynote, John look at the impact on Germany today, and what the future holds for the country.

Putin – The Threat, The Grievance, and What It All Means: John explains Putin’s obsession with Russia’s great power past, and his refusal to allow other Slav nations, notably Ukraine, their independence. He also considers Putin’s next likely step into Europe and whether he can be stopped.

40 Elections That Will Shape Global Politics in 2024: Theoretically, half the world’s population will vote at some point in 2024. This talk looks at the conduct and impact of elections in populous states such as India and Mexico, to the big votes in the US and EU.

Previous events John has appeared at, include:

– Oxford Literary Festival

– Cambridge German Society

– LSE German Symposium

– British Embassy, Berlin

– Natural History Museum, Berlin

– Soho House, Berlin

– Royal United Services Institute

– Toppings St Andrews

– Toppings Edinburgh

– British German Association

– German Embassy, London

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book John Kampfner for your next live event or corporate video.

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