Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles
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Sir Sherard Louis Cowper-Coles ( ; born 8 January 1955) is a British former diplomat. He was the Foreign Secretary's
Special Representative Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...
to
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
and
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
in 2009–2010. After leaving the Foreign Office, he worked briefly for
BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...
as international business development director. He left BAE Systems in 2013 and is now a senior adviser to the group chairman and the group chief executive of
HSBC HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...
. He is also president of the Jane Austen Society.


Early life and education

Sherard Cowper-Coles is the son of Sherard Hamilton Cowper-Coles and Dorothy (née Short). His grandfather, the metallurgist
Sherard Osborn Cowper-Coles Sherard Osborn Cowper-Coles (8 October 1866 – 9 September 1936) was a British metallurgist, and inventor of the sherardising process of galvanization. Early life He was born in Ventnor, the fourth son of naval inventor Captain Cowper Phipps ...
, was the son of naval inventor Captain
Cowper Phipps Coles Captain Cowper Phipps Coles (1819 – 7 September 1870), was an English naval captain with the Royal Navy. Coles was also an inventor; in 1859, he was the first to patent a design for a revolving gun turret. Upon appealing for public support, ...
. He was educated at Freston Lodge School,
New Beacon School The New Beacon Preparatory School is an independent all-boys preparatory school, located at Sevenoaks in the English county of Kent. It admits both day students and boarders aged between 4 and 13. The school also now offers a co-educational nu ...
,
Tonbridge School Tonbridge School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for boys aged 13–18) in Tonbridge, Kent, England, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde (sometimes spelt Judd). It is a member of the Eton Group and has clo ...
and
Hertford College, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main ga ...
,''Cowper-Coles, Sir Sherard (Louis)'', in ''Who's Who 2008'' (London, A. & C. Black, 2008) where he read
classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...
. In 1982, he married Bridget Mary Elliott. Her father was Neil Elliott, a prominent
land agent Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts. Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large landed estate for a member of the nobility or landed gentry, supervising the farming ...
whose brother was the actor
Denholm Elliott Denholm Mitchell Elliott (31 May 1922 – 6 October 1992) was an English actor. He appeared in numerous productions on stage and screen, receiving BAFTA awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for ''Trading Places'' (1983), '' A Private Fu ...
and whose father had been assassinated while serving as Solicitor-General to the Mandatory Government of Palestine in 1933 and who was buried in
Mount Zion Cemetery, Jerusalem The Protestant Mount Zion Cemetery (a.k.a., Jerusalem Mount Zion Protestant Cemetery, ; ) on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, is a cemetery owned by the Anglican ''Church Missionary Trust Association Ltd.'', London, represented by the Episcopal Church ...
. The couple have four sons, Henry Sherard, Rupert Neil, Frederick Peter and Myles Philip, and one daughter, Minna Louise. In 2011, he divorced Bridget Mary Elliott and married Jasmine Zerinini, a French diplomat, in 2012. They have a daughter, Louise Elizabeth.


Diplomatic career

Cowper-Coles entered the
diplomatic service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtain diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...
in 1977. He was
Third Secretary Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...
and later
Second Secretary Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...
in
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
, 1980–83, First Secretary in the Planning Staff of the
Foreign and 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 ...
, 1983–85; Private Secretary to the Permanent
Under-secretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is al ...
of State, 1985–87, First Secretary in
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
, 1987–91, Assistant in the Security Policy Department of the FCO, 1991–93, Resident Associate,
International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is an international research institute or think tank focusing on defence and security issues. Since 1997, its headquarters have been at Arundel House in London. It has offices on four co ...
, 1993–94; Head of the Hong Kong Department of the FCO, 1994–97, Political Counsellor in Paris, 1997–99; Principal Private Secretary to
Robin Cook Robert Finlayson "Robin" Cook (28 February 19466 August 2005) was a British Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1974 until his death in 2005 and served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 until ...
, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 1999–2001. His first role as a
head of mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, perma ...
was in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
as the
British Ambassador to Israel The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Israel is the United Kingdom's foremost Diplomat, diplomatic representative in Israel, and in charge of the UK's diplomatic mission in Israel. The official title is ''His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to ...
from 2001 to 2003. He was next appointed Ambassador to Saudi Arabia in
Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
, a post that he held until 2006. From 15 May 2007 until April 2009, he served as Ambassador to Afghanistan in
Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...
. In February 2009, it was announced that he would be taking up a new role as special representative of the UK Foreign Secretary to
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
and
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. He attracted controversy in October 2008 when a leaked French
diplomatic cable A diplomatic cable, also known as a diplomatic telegram (DipTel) or embassy cable, is a confidential text-based message exchanged between a diplomatic mission, like an embassy or a consulate, and the foreign ministry of its parent country.Defi ...
suggested he had been sharply critical of
Karzai Hamid Karzai (born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan politician who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014, including as the first president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2004 to 2014. He previously served as ...
and US policy. While insisting Britain should support the US, he was quoted as saying: "We should tell them that we want to be part of a winning strategy, not a losing one." This memo leak occurred the same week another additional memo was leaked concerning fellow British ambassador, Sir
Nigel Sheinwald Sir Nigel Elton Sheinwald (born 26 June 1953) is a former senior British diplomat, who served as Ambassador to the United States of America between October 2007 and January 2012. He was appointed " Special Envoy on intelligence and law enforce ...
's comments with regard to United States Senator
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
. Both leaks concerned foreign policy and occurred in the final weeks of the
2008 US presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John Mc ...
. In early 2010, it was reported that he clashed with senior
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
and US officials over his insistence that the military-driven
counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN, or NATO spelling counter-insurgency) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the ac ...
effort was headed for failure, and that talks with the
Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
should be prioritised. On 21 June 2010, the British high commission announced he had taken "extended leave" from his position in Afghanistan. Following comments from the Foreign Secretary,
William Hague William Jefferson Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond (born 26 March 1961) is a British politician and life peer who was Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001 and Deputy Leader from 2005 to 2010. He was th ...
, it appeared unlikely he would return to the post.


Post-diplomatic career

In 2011, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles became
BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...
' international business development director, focusing on the Middle East and south-east Asia. He is a committee member of the Saudi-British Society. His appointment at
BAE BAE Systems plc is a British multinational aerospace, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe and the seventh largest i ...
caused some controversy, since he is thought to have "had a profound effect" on the decision by
Robert Wardle Robert Wardle was Director of the Serious Fraud Office of England and Wales. He was appointed on 21 April 2003 and had previously been Assistant Director for eleven years. He had been a member of the SFO since it was created in 1988. Previously he ...
, then director of the UK's Serious Fraud Office, to end an investigation into
BAE BAE Systems plc is a British multinational aerospace, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe and the seventh largest i ...
's allegedly corrupt dealings with Saudi Arabia. In 2013 and 2014, he participated in the
Bilderberg Conference The Bilderberg Meeting (also known as the "Bilderberg Group", "Bilderberg Conference" or "Bilderberg Club") is an annual off-the-record forum established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally ...
s. He is also the chair at China-Britain Business Council, an organisation promoting trade relationships between China and the UK.


Honours

Cowper-Coles was appointed a Lieutenant of the
Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...
(LVO) in 1991 and made a Companion of the
Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...
(CMG) in the
1997 Birthday Honours The 1997 Birthday Honours were announced on 14 June 1997 for the United Kingdom and on 2 June 1997 for New Zealand.New Zealand list: Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Monarch's Official Birthday in the United K ...
London Gazette Supplement, 14 June 1997, page B3.
/ref> and a Knight Commander of the Order in the
2004 Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2004 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2004 for the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Cook Islands and elsewhere to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2004. The recipients of honours are displayed here as ...
.


Published works

* (2011) ''Cables from Kabul: The Inside Story of the West's Afghanistan Campaign'', London: HarperPress. * (2012) ''Ever the Diplomat: Confessions of a Foreign Office Mandarin'', London: HarperPress.


References


External links


Kabul embassy biography

Haaretz interview

Robert Fisk column about Sherard Cowper-Coles


{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowper-Coles, Sherard Living people 1955 births Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Israel Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Afghanistan Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George People educated at Tonbridge School Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order Principal Private Secretaries to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Members of HM Diplomatic Service 20th-century British diplomats 21st-century British non-fiction writers