The Rt Hon. Lord Patten of Barnes
Former Governor of Hong Kong
As the former Governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten oversaw the handover to China in 1997. He was also the former Chairman of the BBC Trust, served as a Chairman of the Conservative Party and was involved in setting up the Good Friday Peace Agreement in Northern Ireland.
"Arriving in Hong Kong, more than anything else in my life, affected my views - both my views on political life and my views on leadership"
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Lord Patten began his career in the Conservative Party, serving as Member of Parliament for Bath and joining the Cabinet. He served as Minister for Overseas Development at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and was appointed to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for the Environment. Lord Patten chaired the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland, and in 1999, he was appointed as one of the United Kingdom's two members to the European Commission as Commissioner for External Relations.
WHAT he OFFERS YOU
Using the lessons learned in Hong Kong, Lord Patten is able to offer audiences tremendous insights into dealing with the Chinese. As a recent EU Commissioner he also has a wealth of expertise in European as well as global politics and economics.