Alan John Watson, Baron Watson of Richmond (born 3 February 1941) is a UK-based broadcaster,

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

politician and

leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets v ...

communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

consultant.

Early life and education

Lord Watson of Richmond is the son of the Rev. John William Watson and Edna Mary Peters. He was educated at the

Diocesan College The Diocesan College (commonly known as Bishops) is a private, English medium, boarding and day high school for boys situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The school was established on ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

in South Africa and

Kingswood School (''In The Right Way Quickly'') , established = , closed = , type = Independent , religious_affiliation = Methodist , president = , head_label = Headmaste ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. He was an Open Scholar in history at

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes ...

1959, a State Scholar 1959 and was awarded an MA in 1963. He was the Vice-President of the Cambridge Union. Watson's German-born wife Karen is an artist: they have two sons, Stephen and Martin.

Career

Broadcasting

Watson joined the BBC after graduating from

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in 1963, and later became a regular presenter for '' The Money Programme'' on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

and ''

Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined i ...

'' on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

. He also reported on

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...

, Radio 4 and the

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is an international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the British Government through the Foreign Secretary's office. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception a ...

, and wrote and presented award-winning documentaries over many years. He was one of the studio contributors to the BBC's June 1970 ''Election Night'' television programme. He is a Fellow and Former Chairman of the

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

. From 1976 to 1980 he was responsible for media at the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

Politics

In politics, Watson's notable role was as President of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He was appointed CBE in 1985 and, on 23 July 1999 was elevated to the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

with a

Life Peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

age as Baron Watson of Richmond, of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the Londo ...

. He is a member of the

Select Committee Select committee may refer to: *Select committee (parliamentary system) A select committee is a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster system o ...

on the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

. He stood for election four times: as the Liberal candidate for

in the general elections of October 1974 and

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

, and as the Liberal candidate ( SDP-Liberal Alliance) for Richmond and Barnes in the general elections of

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

and

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

. On all four occasions, he came in second place, losing to the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

. Outside of the United Kingdom, Lord Watson is Chair of the Albanian British Chamber of Commerce and is a Member of the European Parliament's High Level Group on

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. His political interests are the "worldwide use of English,

EU enlargement The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria ( ...

and transatlantic relationship".

Leadership communications

Lord Watson was Chairman of CTN Communications until retirement, a creative communications agency based on

St Martin's Lane St Martin's Lane is a street in the City of Westminster, which runs from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, after which it is named, near Trafalgar Square northwards to Long Acre. At its northern end, it becomes Monmouth Street. St Marti ...

in central London. He advises the leaders of major UK and international companies on their communications, with clients including BP,

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenue ...

and

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues an ...

Board memberships

Business

* Executive Chairman, CTN Communications * Executive Chairman,

Havas Media Havas Media Group is the media division of the global marketing and communications group Havas. It incorporates the media assets of Havas, which includes predominantly entities which were formerly known as Media Planning Group (MPG). MPG was crea ...

* Chairman, Nexus Partnerships * Chairman, Coca-Cola European Advisory Board * Non-Executive Chairman, I-COMP

Not-for-profit

* Chairman, The Council of Commonwealth Societies * Chairman, The European Movement UK * Chairman, The Father Thames Trust * Chairman, The Arcadia Advisory Board * British Chairman, Königswinter Anglo-German Conference * President, British-German Association * Co-Chair, Jamestown 1607-2007 British Committee * Non-Executive Chairman, Raisin Social (a wine importer) * Member, The Executive Committee of the

Pilgrims Society The Pilgrims Society, founded on 16 July 1902 by Sir Harry Brittain KBE CMG, is a British-American society established, in the words of American diplomat Joseph Choate, 'to promote good-will, good-fellowship, and everlasting peace between the Uni ...

* Member,

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...

Business Leaders' Forum * Patron, The Richmond Society * Patron,

Museum of Richmond The Museum of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is located in Richmond's Old Town Hall, close to Richmond Bridge. It was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 October 1988. An independent museum and a register ...

* Patron, The Richmond in Europe Association * International Chairman Emeritus, The English-Speaking Union * Chairman Emeritus,

* Former Executive Board Member,

UNICEF UK UNICEF UK, also known as the United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF, is one of 36 UNICEF national committees based in industrialised countries. The national committees raise funds for the organisation's worldwide emergency and development work. In 2 ...

* President, The European-Atlantic Movement (TEAM)

Positions at educational institutions

Lord Watson holds a range of visiting and honorary posts at universities in the United Kingdom and abroad.

United Kingdom

* High Steward,

* Visiting Fellow, Oriel College, Oxford University * Honorary Fellow,

* Chairman, Cambridge University Chemistry Advisory Board * Life Patron, Cambridge's Churchill Archives Centre * Chairman, The Cambridge Foundation * Honorary Professor,

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

* Trustee, The American International University in London * Former Chairman, Governors at

Westminster College, Oxford Westminster College was a teacher training college and college of higher education in England. The college was founded in London in 1851 as a training institute for teachers for Wesleyan Methodist schools, but moved to Oxford in 1959. Before t ...

* President, The British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education

Overseas

* Honorary Doctor, St Lawrence University, USA * Visiting Professor,

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...

, Belgium * Honorary Professor,

Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the ...

, Russia * Honorary Professor,

Korea University Korea University (KU, ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea, established in 1905. The university is included as one of the SKY universities, a popular acronym referring to Korea's three most prestigious universities. Th ...

, South Korea * Trustee, The

Centre for British Studies Part of Humboldt University of Berlin, the Centre for British Studies /Großbritannienzentrum (GBZ) is an interdisciplinary institute committed to teaching and research focused on the United Kingdom. In addition to interdisciplinary research proj ...

Humboldt University Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiati ...

, Berlin

Publications

''Europe at Risk''

''Europe at Risk'' was Lord Waton's first publication, released in 1972.

''The Germans: Who Are They Now?''

''The Germans: Who Are They Now?'' is a non-fiction book, first published in 1992.

''Eminent Europeans: personalities who shaped contemporary Europe''

''Eminent Europeans: personalities who shaped contemporary Europe'' is a collection of 17 essays on the personalities who have shaped modern Europe, for which Lord Watson contributed the essay entitled ''Thatcher and Kohl: Old Rivalries Revisited''. The book was published in 1996, and edited by Martyn Bond, Julie Smith and William Wallace.

''Jamestown: The Voyage of English''

Published in 2007, ''Jamestown: The Voyage of English'' is an exploration of the global significance of the arrival of the Godspeed, the

Susan Constant ''Susan Constant'', possibly ''Sarah Constant'', captained by Christopher Newport, was the largest of three ships of the English Virginia Company (the others being ''Discovery'' and '' Godspeed'') on the 1606–1607 voyage that resulted in the fo ...

and the

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discove ...

on America's East Coast in 1607. These three ships carried the ideas and the language which would shape the modern world. Lord Watson tells the story of a precarious venture that nearly failed. But it succeeded against the odds, planting the seeds of

representative government Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

, capitalism and the

rule of law The rule of law is the political philosophy that all citizens and institutions within a country, state, or community are accountable to the same laws, including lawmakers and leaders. The rule of law is defined in the ''Encyclopedia Britannic ...

. These ideas were expressed in a language which had just reached a peak of power and vitality – the English of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, Tyndale and Cranmer's Prayer Book. The year 1607 marks the start of the voyage of English from the language of 4 million inhabitants of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...

to its role as today's working language of the global village used by almost 2 billion people world-wide.

''The Queen and the USA''

''The Queen and the USA'' is a non-fiction book published in March 2012 by Dementi Milestone Publishing. During 2012,

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

celebrated the 60th anniversary of her role as Queen of the United Kingdom. This book explores and celebrates the special relationship between the American and British people during this period, and honours Queen Elizabeth II for her role and contribution to a friendship recognised throughout the world. Co-authored by Horace Edward "Chip" Mann, the book is highly visual, and includes photographs of the Queen with twelve US Presidents.

''Churchill's Legacy, Two Speeches to Save the World''

Published in 2016
''Churchill's Legacy, Two Speeches to Save the World''
is a non-fiction book published in September 2016 by

Bloomsbury Publishing Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a U ...

to mark the 70th anniversary of Churchill's speeches in 1946, first in March in

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolita ...

, often known as the Iron Curtain speech, and then in September in Zurich, Switzerland, often known as the United States of Europe speech.

Honours and awards

Below is a list of Lord Watson's most notable awards. For educational honours, please see the above section, ''Positions at Educational Institutions''. *

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, 1985 *

Federal Cross of Merit The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

(Germany), 1995 (for his "significant and enduring contribution" to understanding between Germany and Britain) * Grand Cross of Merit (Germany), 2001 * Commander's Grand Cross of the Romanian Order of Merit, 2004 * Churchill Medal, 2005 * The Loyola Schools Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Promotion of English by Manila University, 2005 * Knights Grand Cross of the German Order of Merit, 2007 * Knight of Honor of the Order of St. George, 2016

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Alan Baron Watson of Richmond Watson of Richmond Watson of Richmond Alumni of Diocesan College, Cape Town Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Watson of Richmond Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Watson of Richmond People educated at Kingswood School, Bath People from Port Elizabeth Presidents of the Liberal Party (UK) Life peers created by Elizabeth II