The Council on Geostrategy is delighted and honoured to announce five new Advisory Council members. The Hon. George Brandis, The Rt. Hon. Lord Hain, The Rt. Hon. John Spellar, The Rt. Hon. Baroness Symons and Lord Turnberg will bring knowledge to the Council that will support our work into new geostrategic thinking for a more competitive age.
The Hon. George Brandis KC is Professor at the National Security College at the Australian National University in Canberra. Professor Brandis was educated at the University of Queensland and Magdalen College Oxford, and is a barrister by profession. He served for 18 years in the Australian Senate. He was a Minister in the Governments of John Howard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull. His portfolios included Attorney-General and Vice President of the Executive Council under Prime Ministers Abbott and Turnbull, and Leader of the Government in the Senate. From 2018-2022 he was Australia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
The Rt. Hon. Lord Hain is a current member of the House of Lords. Lord Hain was Member of Parliament for Neath from 1991-2015. He was then created a life peer in 2015. He currently serves on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland Sub-Committee. He was appointed Secretary of State for Wales from 2002-2008 and from 2009-2010 and as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2007-2008. He was a Minister of State for Europe from 2001-2002, a Minister of State for Energy and Competitiveness in Europe in 2001, and a Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1999-2000. Lord Hain was the Leader of the House of Commons from 2003-2005.
The Rt. Hon. John Spellar is Member of Parliament for Warley. Since 2020, he has been the current vice chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, having previously been a member from 2017-2019 and 2015-2017. He was the Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2010-2015. Before that, he was appointed as the Minister for Northern Ireland from 2003-2005 and the Minister for Armed Forces from 1999-2001.
The Rt. Hon. Baroness Symons is a member of the House of Lords. She was created a Labour life peer in 1996. Her most recent ministerial experience came as the Minister of State for the Middle East from 2003-2005. Previously, she was Minister for Trade and Investment from 2001-2003 and was Deputy Leader of the House of Lords from 2001-2005. Baroness Symons was previously the Chair of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce, a Senior Network Member at the European Leadership Network, and a member of the British-American Project.
You can view the full list of our Advisory Council members here.