The Indo-Pacific ‘tilt’ five years on

Our Whitehall Briefings connect Whitehall officials and other key stakeholders for discussions on a range of topical geopolitical, geoeconomic and geostrategic issues, as well as domestic issues associated with the United Kingdom’s leadership on the global stage. A prominent Whitehall official discusses their knowledge and expertise before invited guests engage in discussion and offer valuable input and ideas.

The Whitehall Briefings take place bi-monthly at the In and Out Naval and Military Club. Events are by invitation only and take place strictly off-the-record.

Keynote speaker

Kate Harrisson

Interim Director for the Asia Pacific, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Kate Harrisson is Interim Director for the Asia-Pacific at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), having been appointed in May 2026. She first joined the FCDO in 2000, and has held a number of roles including Regional Cities followed by Political Counsellor in Beijing, Deputy Head of Mission to Vietnam, Economic Consul in Hong Kong, British Ambassador to Peru, and Head of the China Department. She has also worked on British-Indian relations, policy planning, and refugee and conflict prevention policy, and supported Afghan reconstruction in 2005-2006.

Honorary chair

Dr Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE

Honorary Chair, Whitehall Briefings

Dr Carl Hunter OBE is Chairman of Coltraco Ultrasonics, a high-exporting advanced manufacturer. He is also: Chairman of the British Exporters Association; Director-General of the Durham Institute of Research, Development and Invention; Director of the Centre of Underwater Acoustic Analysis; Professor-in-Practice at Durham University Business School; Visiting Fellow of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre; and Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.

Venue