Robert Nigel (Bob) Peirce is a British-American former diplomat, international policing consultant and author. Until July 2009 he was a British diplomat, serving as British Consul-General in Los Angeles. A former secretary for external affairs in the Hong Kong Government, he was a key negotiator with China on Hong Kong from the early 1980s through the handover in June 1997.
Under the chairmanship of
Christopher Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes (; born 12 May 1944), is a British politician who was the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992, and the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997. He was made a lif ...
, Peirce guided the work of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland, whose seminal report provided a vital foundation for peace in Northern Ireland. He has also worked closely with the
Police Executive Research Forum
The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) is a national membership organization of police executives primarily from the largest city, county and state law enforcement agencies in the United States. The organization is dedicated to improving polic ...
(PERF) to develop links between the UK and US on all aspects of policing policy.
In his capacity as Consul-General in Los Angeles, he facilitated the first-ever visit by a serving British Prime Minister to California and strengthened UK-CA cultural and business relations through the creation of BritWeek. He has served as private secretary to three British Foreign Secretaries:
Sir Geoffrey Howe
Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon, (20 December 1926 – 9 October 2015), known from 1970 to 1992 as Sir Geoffrey Howe, was a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1989 to ...
,
Sir John Major
Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Tony Blair's Labour Party in the 1997 g ...
, and
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, (born 8 March 1930) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995.
A career diplomat and ...
.
Biodata
Peirce (born 18 March 1955) was raised in Somerset, England, where he attended Taunton School., and in South Africa. He was educated at
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College (colloquially called St Catz or Catz) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. In 1974, it was also one of the first men's colleges to admit women. It has 528 un ...
, where he obtained a MA in Modern History, and also studied Chinese at
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. His parents were Kenneth and Margaret Peirce.
Foreign Office career
After joining the
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom.
The office was created on 2 ...
(FCO) in 1977, Bob worked in a number of key positions. He served in Hong Kong (from 1979 to 1980, then as Deputy Political Advisor from 1986 to 1989 and finally as Political Advisor to the Governor from 1993 to 1997), in Peking (1980–83), at the FCO in London (1983–85), and in the Cabinet Office (1985–86). He was Private Secretary to three Secretaries of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs between 1988 and 1990. He served at the UK Mission to the UN from 1990 to 1993, where his work focused on Security Council issues, including Namibia, Cambodia, South Africa, Angola, Yugoslavia, Cyprus and many others.
In 1990, he was engaged by the UK's Overseas Development Administration (the predecessor to the Department for International Development) to serve as a consultant to the President of Uganda,
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and Officer (armed forces), military officer who is the ninth and current president of Uganda since 1986. As of 2025, he is the third-List of current state lead ...
, on the organisation of the Ugandan State House bureaucracy. Bob was posted to the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1998 until becoming Secretary of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland later that year. He left the Commission in 1999 and became Counselor (Press & Public Affairs) at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. In 2005, he was appointed Consul-General in Los Angeles, with responsibility for a geographical region with a larger population than many countries.
Hong Kong
Bob was twice a member of the
Government of Hong Kong
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the handover of Hong Kong. ...
, in the 1980s and again in the 1990s. From 1993 to 1997, he was the Secretary responsible for Hong Kong's external affairs under Governor
Christopher Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes (; born 12 May 1944), is a British politician who was the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992, and the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997. He was made a lif ...
. For most of the period from 1979 to 1997, he was directly involved in the negotiations that culminated in the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China on 30 June 1997, as documented in Patten's books, ''East and West'' and ''The Hong Kong Diaries'' and other writings on the subject.
The Patten Commission
Bob was the Secretary (equivalent to chief executive) of the
Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland
The Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland was established in 1998 as part of the Belfast Agreement, intended as a major step in the Northern Ireland peace process. Chaired by Conservative politician and the last Governor of Hong ...
, established 3 June 1998 under the chairmanship Chris Patten. The commission's report ''A New Beginning: Policing in Northern Ireland'', released in 1999, was drafted by Bob and formed the basis of policing reforms in Northern Ireland following the 1998 peace agreement. It has been hailed by policing experts around the world as a seminal document for policing in a democratic society as well as a template for policing in divided societies.
Policing policy
When serving as head of political and public affairs at the British Embassy in Washington, DC, Bob worked closely with Chuck Wexler, Executive Director of the
Police Executive Research Forum
The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) is a national membership organization of police executives primarily from the largest city, county and state law enforcement agencies in the United States. The organization is dedicated to improving polic ...
(PERF), to develop links between UK and US police departments, resulting in best practice exchanges on all aspects of related policy, from forensic DNA to public order policing. Peirce has worked as a consultant on policing reforms in various countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America, as well as in the United States. In 2017–18, he worked with the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, chaired by
Kathleen O'Toole
Kathleen M. O'Toole ( Horton; born May 9, 1954) is an American law enforcement officer who served as Chief of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) from June 23, 2014, to January 4, 2018. She was previously the first female commissioner of the Bos ...
, and drafted the report of that commission, which has been the basis of policing reforms in that country. In 2022, he and O'Toole published the highly acclaimed book ''Seven Ways to Fix Policing NOW'', a response to the crisis in policing in the United States and elsewhere.
California
Visit by Prime Minister Tony Blair
In August 2006, Bob facilitated the visit by Prime Minister
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
to California — the first ever visit to the state by a serving British Prime Minister. As part of the visit, Bob instigated the creation of a ground-breaking climate change pact between California and the United Kingdom. The pact was signed by Blair and California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
after their participation in a climate change round table with business leaders in Long Beach. The unprecedented agreement between a country and a US state affirms that the UK and California will work together to evaluate and implement market-based mechanisms that spur innovation, share best practices, deepen their understanding of the
economics of climate change
An economic analysis of climate change uses economic tools and models to calculate the magnitude and distribution of damages caused by climate change. It can also give guidance for the best policies for mitigation and adaptation to climate chan ...
, collaborate on technology research, and enhance linkages between their scientific communities.
BritWeek
Together with
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe OBE (; born 9 July 1949) is an English television and film director and producer, television dance competition judge, former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He was the producer of the shows ''Pop Idol'' and ''Ame ...
, President of
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment Inc. is a producer of entertainment properties for television with a focus on music owned by Sony Pictures Television through its nonfiction division. Founded by Simon Fuller in London in 1985, the company co-produced '' Pop Ido ...
and Executive Producer of
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
, Bob introduced BritWeek to Los Angeles, an annual week of events and celebrations whose collective aim is to strengthen and broaden awareness of the creative, cultural and trade links between Britain and Los Angeles. A promotional film for BritWeek 2008, features Bob, Nigel Lythgoe, Simon Cowell of American Idol, and a number of other prominent Brits commenting on the influence the UK has had on Los Angeles and vice versa, not least in the entertainment arena. Bob continues to chair Brit Week, which is being extended to include San Francisco in 2010.
Personal life
Peirce is married to Sharon Harroun Peirce, a native of Virginia who has worked extensively with international humanitarian organizations promoting peace in Northern Ireland, including the Children's Friendship Project for Northern Ireland, Inc. (CFPNI) and several other non-profit organizations. They are based in Northern Virginia. Together, they have three children from different marriages.
Links
*
Who's Who reference guide
BBC article – ''California and UK in climate pact''
California Office of the Governor press release on UK-CA AgreementOfficial biography on www.BritainUSA.com''Telegraph'' article about BritWeek 2008Marshall Scholars Meet Tony Blair during California visitBritWeek 2008 promotional video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peirce, Bob
Living people
1955 births
British businesspeople
British diplomats
British expatriates in the United States
People from Somerset