Charles Powell, Baron Powell of Bayswater

Charles David Powell, Baron Powell of Bayswater [ pəʊl ], KCMG, OBE ( born July 6, 1941) is a British diplomat, politician and businessman. He was one of the leading foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. His brother Jonathan Powell was Tony Blair 's chief of staff whose time as Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007, his father Air Vice - Marshal John Frederick Powell was.

Life

Powell attended the Cathedral Choir School in Canterbury, the King's School in Canterbury and New College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1963 with a BA in Modern History.

In the Diplomatic Service

Charles Powell appeared in 1963 in the British Diplomatic Service a. His first post was in 1965 in Helsinki as Third Secretary, Second Secretary and later. In 1968 he returned to London, where he spent three years in the Foreign Ministry. Then he went in 1971 as First Secretary to Washington, DC, and was Private Secretary to the Ambassador.

From 1974 on, he was in Bonn, then in 1980 as an envoy to the Representation of the United Kingdom to the EU ( UKREP ) in Brussels.

He was seconded by 10 Downing Street, and served as private secretary to Margaret Thatcher (1983 - 1990), and later John Major (1990 - 1991). During the time he worked for Thatcher, he became one of its most reliable advisor in foreign policy. He helped, among other things, negotiate the controversial " al - Yamamah " arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

As a businessman

After 1992, Powell has been an international businessman. He used the experience and contacts that he had collected during his time in government to get various lucrative executive position and support staff. He is Chairman of Sagitta Asset Management and luxury manufacturer Louis Vuitton. Before he took these positions, he served on the Board of Phillips Fine Art Auctioneers and Director of Jardine Matheson Holdings. He also paused as director of Caterpillar Inc., LVMH, Mandarin Oriental International, Schindler Holding, Tiphook, Textron and Yell Group, he is also authorized to sign for the Henry Jackson Society.

Brunei Controversy

In 2005 it was revealed that Powell as the special adviser to Tony Blair spent several years in Brunei, a task that he knew without payment. A controversy arose because Powell was paid simultaneously by BAE Systems, and the company at that time led negotiations on buying three warships with Brunei. Powell denied despite its links to BAE and the fact that his brother Jonathan Powell was Tony Blair's chief of staff at this time, the existence of conflicts of interest.

House of Lords

Powell has a seat as a life peer in the House of Lords. Although he is close to the Conservatives, Lord Powell takes his seat as a Cross Bencher.

Private

He married Carla Bonardi 1964, the couple has two sons (born 1967 and 1968).

He has three brothers: Chris ( co-founder of DDB Advertising ), Roderick (Rod ) and Jonathan, the Chief of Staff of Tony Blair and a member of the Labour Party.

Honors

• He was appointed in 1990 after his retirement from the diplomatic service for Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George ( KCMG ).
• In 2000 he was ennobled for life peer as Baron Powell of Bayswater, the of Canterbury in the County of Kent.
• In 2001 he was awarded the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat of Singapore.