Alan John Watson, Baron Watson of Richmond, CBE (born 3 February 1941) is a broadcaster, politician and advertising executive.
Lord Watson of Richmond is the son of the Rev. John William Watson and Edna Mary Peters. He was educated at the Diocesan College, Cape Town in South Africa and Kingswood School in Bath. He was an Open Scholar in history at Jesus College, Cambridge 1959, a State Scholar 1959 and was awarded a MA in 1963. He was the Vice-President of the Cambridge Union.
Lord Watson is currently Chairman of CTN (Corporate Television Networks). He advises many major UK and international companies on their communication strategies and is Chairman of the Coca-Cola European Advisory Board and Havas Media. He is also Non-Executive Chairman of the wine importer, Raisin Social. His business career began with four years as CEO of the advertising agency, Charles Barker City and he has chaired a number of media/public relations/advertising companies throughout his career. In broadcasting Alan Watson joined the BBC after Cambridge, and later became a regular presenter for The Money Programme on BBC2 and Panorama on BBC1. He also reported on LWTV, Radio 4 and the BBC World Service and wrote and presented award-winning documentaries over many years. He is a Fellow and former chairman of the Royal Television Society. From 1976 to 1980 he was responsible for media at the European Commission.
Lord Watson has been Chairman of the English Speaking Union for six years and he is now International Chairman Emeritus. In 2005 he was awarded The Churchill Medal. He is Chairman of the Council of Commonwealth Societies and a member of the Executive Committee of the Pilgrims Society. He is Co-Chair of the Jamestown 1607-2007 British Committee. Additionally he is a member of the Prince of Wales Business Leader's Forum.
Internationally he has served on the Executive Board of UNICEF UK and as a member of the European Parliament's High Level Group on Romania. In 2004 he was awarded the Commander's Grand Cross of the Romanian Order of Merit.
Alan Watson holds a range of visiting and honorary posts at universities in Britain and abroad. For six years he was chairman of Governors at Westminster College, Oxford. He is a Visiting Fellow at Oriel College, Oxford, an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge. He chairs the Cambridge University Chemistry Advisory Board and is a Life Patron of Cambridge's Churchill Archives Centre. In 2005 he was appointed Chairman of The Cambridge Foundation. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham and a Trustee of the American International University in London. He was appointed High Steward of Cambridge University for life in 2010.
Abroad, he has received an Honorary Doctorate from St Lawrence University USA, a Visiting Professorship at Leuven, Honorary Professorships from St Petersburg State University and Korea University and is a Trustee of the Centre for British Studies at Berlin's Humboldt University. In 2005 he was awarded The Loyola Schools Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Promotion of English by Manila University.
His publications include Europe at Risk, The Germans: Who Are They Now?, Thatcher and Kohl: Old Rivalries Revisited and Jamestown: The Voyage of English.
In politics, his notable role was being President of the Liberal Party. He was appointed a CBE in 1985. In 1999 he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Watson of Richmond, of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. He is a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union.
In 1995 he received the German Order of Merit for his "significant and enduring contribution" to understanding between Germany and Britain. In 2001 he was promoted to the Grand Cross and in 2007 the Knights Grand Cross of the Order. He is British Chairman of the Königswinter Anglo-German Conference and President of the British German Association.
He is a Patron of the Richmond Society, the Richmond Museum, The Richmond in Europe Association and the European Movement UK; Chairman of the Father Thames Trust and the Arcadia Advisory Board; and President of the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Geoff Tordoff |
President of the Liberal Party 1984–1985 |
Succeeded by David Penhaligon |