Sir John Holmes

Sir John Holmes was educated at Preston Grammar School and Balliol College, Oxford. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1973 and served in a wide range of diplomatic roles in London, Moscow, Paris, New Delhi and Lisbon.

In 1995, Sir John joined Prime Minister John Major in Downing Street as his Private Secretary (Overseas Affairs) and diplomatic adviser. He continued this role with Prime Minister Tony Blair from 1997 to 1999, becoming Principal Private Secretary, and was closely involved in the negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement.

In 1999, Sir John was appointed as British Ambassador in Lisbon, moving to Paris as Ambassador from 2001 to 2007. He then served as UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator from 2007 to 2010, before taking over as Director of the Ditchley Foundation, a post he held until September 2016. He has been Chair of the Electoral Commission since January 2017. He also currently chairs the Board of the International Rescue Committee-UK, and is the author of a book on his time at the UN, The Politics of Humanity, published in March 2013.

Sir John is married to Penny and they have three daughters.