Name: Charles Crawford CMG

Position: Senior Communications Adviser and Speech-writer

First PR job: Years of experience presenting British foreign policy in different international hot-spots. From 1985-89 he served as Speech-writer to then Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe and wrote the Foreign Office’s Guide to Speech-writing, still in use today. His FCO work was praised at the highest levels in Whitehall and Brussels (EU and NATO) for its dynamic and imaginative yet readable style.

Charles’ career: Charles joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1979 after qualifying as a Barrister. He served as a diplomat until 2007, primarily dealing with ‘transition’ issues and the conflicts in former Yugoslavia. After a posting in Russia in the early Yeltsin years after the Cold War ended he served successively as HM Ambassador in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Warsaw. He now has a consultancy focusing on Writing, Training and Mediation. He writes regularly for DIPLOMAT magazine

Best Career Successes: Leading the British diplomatic effort to rebuild Bosnia and Herzegovina after the conflict there; the international campaign to promote democracy in Serbia by ending the Milosevic regime; and promoting the UK’s relations with Poland as it joined the European Union.

Hobbies: He walks the dog and swings lustily at a tennis ball or two.