Invite me to Speak

I enjoy speaking at business or club lunches and dinners and, in particular, on subjects of which I am reasonably knowledgable:

• The background to my novel, set in wartime Italy, TO THE RIVER
• The crisis of our politics, as discussed in WHO ARE WE?
• Perceptions of China in the West
• What is the Chinese Dream?
• What should Britain do about China?
• What makes China tick?

FORTHCOMING

WHO ARE WE? Talk at THINK SCOTLAND meeting, Edinburgh, 22 April 2025

WHO ARE WE? Talk at CLUB DI LONDRA, Brown’s Hotel, London, 09 June 2025

CHINA AND UK TODAY at FEMALE LORD MAYOR APPEAL, Bright Courtyard, London 25 June 2025

WHO ARE WE? Lecture at “WHO WILL SAVE BRITAIN?” conference, London School of Economics, 14 September 2025

WHAT THE UK CAN LEARN FROM CHINA, Society for Anglo Chinese Understanding, 17 September, 2025

WHO ARE WE? Talk at COMMON KNOWLEDGE, Taxi Club, Edinburgh, 09 October 2025

SELECTION OF SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• The Next Election – or the Next Generation? Talk at the SDP Annual Conference, London, October 2023
• Investigative Journalism: A New Global Power? Lecture, Gresham College, London, 30 May 2022
• China Through Media, Lecture, Jesus College, Cambridge, London, 3 March 2022

PRE-COVID

• Keynote Speaker, Cultures of Media Conference, Sydney University Australia, 2020 (postponed)
• Seeing China Through Its Media, Lecture, Gresham College, London, 01 December 2020
• China Through Her Media, Asia Society & Heriot Watt University, Annual Lecture, Edinburgh, 15 November 2019
• Opportunities for, and Limitations upon, CCTV worldwide Invited lecture, Schwarzman College, Peking, 14 May 2019
• The BBC in the World Invited lecture, Schwarzman College, Peking, 15 May 2019
• Western Perspectives on China’s Politics CGTN Europe Headquarters Inaugural Meeting, London, 12 February 2019
• 30th Anniversary of the Founding of SAFEA & CAIEP – UK Office & the Launch Ceremony of Guest of Honour (UK) for the 17th CIEP Conference (China Association for International Exchange of Personnel), London, 29 November 2018
• The Chinese Media and The World, talk at the Bookcity Milano, University of Milan, Italy, 15 November 2018
• The Future of Bilingual Chinese-English Education, Keynote speech at the Overseas-educated Scholars Association of China (WRSA)’s International Forum, Xi’an, PR China,17-19 September 2018
• Chinese Culture in British Education, Peking University College Childhood Education Conference, Beijing, PR China, 9-10 August 2018
• UK Media ‘in Chinese perspective’, Said Business School, Oxford University, 21 July 2018
• The Globalisation of Chinese Media, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), London, 10 April 2018
• Discourses on the Media Industry in China: Institutional and Professional Perspectives, Universita degli Studi di Milano, 11 October 2017
• Global Connections through Arts, Design and Media: Brexit and Beyond Conference of the Council for Higher Education in Arts and Design (CHEAD) Edinburgh College of Art, 15th – 16th March 2017
• Xi Jinping in perspective and what it means for Asia, Leading International Scholars of Asia Series, Special Lecture, University of Rome La Sapienza (in Italian), 7 December 2016
• The Chinese Media System in Perspective, International Guest Lecture Series, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, 28 April 2015
• Association of Chinese Academies of Arts (CCAVA) Annual Conference, Nanjing Academy of the Arts 南京艺术学院实验剧场, 31 October – 2 November 2014
• China’s Model Army – Executive Producer of documentary (reporter Steve Hewlett) broadcast on BBC Panorama and on BBC World and BBC News Channel, 26 April 2014
• The Chinese Media and Relations with Europe (sponsored by Netherlands Government), Clingendael Institute, The Hague, 15 May 2014
• Media, Information and Knowledge about China, Leiden University, The Hague, 16 May 2014
• The West You Don’t Know: presenter of this China Central TV series of documentaries and author of the book to accompany it, made over 2012 and broadcast/published New Year 2013. This was the first ever commission of a foreign production company (set up by a former Westminster student) by CCTV
• The Future of Public Service Media, a CMC Conference held in Beijing and a debate between Jeremy Paxman and Bai Yansong, January 2012
• The China Dream, Conference at Universita degli Studi di Milano, 20 & 21 November 2012
• China-Britain Creative Industries Parliamentary Seminar APPGC House of Commons, London, November 2012
• ‘Innovation, creativity, education’ address at the ‘Culture and Public Diplomacy’ Parliamentary Seminar APPGC House of Commons, London, June 2012
• ‘China in UK Media & Public Opinion’ 12th National Conference of the China Communications Association, Peking University, July 2010
• ‘The cultural bases for the creative industries in today’s China’ Frankfurt Book Fair, October 2009
• ‘Teaching media in the 21st century’ Fudan University Media School 80th Anniversary Conference, Shanghai, October 2009
• ‘Changing attitudes to climate change and the environment: What role for the media and civil society in China?’ Wilton Park (FCO Conference Agency), London, October 2009
• ‘Media and Online Media in China’s Development’, Imperial College Politics & Philosophy Society, London, December 2008
• ‘Government and Media in Modern Britain’, Said Business School, Overseas Senior Civil Servants Programme, Oxford, December 2008
• ‘The Chinese Media – Western Perceptions and Chinese Reality’ at the public conference The Growth of Media and its Impact on Political and Economic Development’ UNESCO, Danish
• Foreign Ministry and IMS, Copenhagen, November 2008
• ‘China: Friend or Foe?’ Battle of Ideas Annual Conference of the Institute of Ideas, London, July 2008
• ‘What does growing Chinese consumer demand mean for Europe?’ Neste Oil’s Future Leadership Conference, Helsinki, April 2008
• ‘New Developments in British Television: Changing Forms, Changing Functions’ China Central Television Leaders’ Conference, Peking, July 2007
• ‘Innovation, creativity, education: China Lessons’ closing address at The China Impact: The Westminster Hearings on China’s Economic Development and the UK House of Commons June 2007
• ‘Boris in China’ feature for BBC Newsnight on Boris Johnson MP, HM Opposition Spokesman on Higher Education, investigating Chinese higher education, produced by HdeB, transmitted April 2007
• ‘Nine Myths about Modern China’, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, June 2006