You are invited to join the Norfolk Cambridge Society for their next public lecture on “Lessons from a Life in Diplomacy”, which will be delivered by Simon McDonald, Lord McDonald of Salford, Master of Christ's College, Cambridge. From 1982 until 2020, Lord McDonald enjoyed one of the most distinguished careers in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (now FCDO), serving under seven prime ministers, from Margaret Thatcher to Boris Johnson. From September 2015 until September 2020 he was Permanent Under-Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service.

Lord McDonald’s lecture will contain a wide ranging analysis of the challenges of effective diplomacy in the modern world and what it takes to operate and lead at the highest levels of government. He will discuss the use of hard and soft power and the role that Britain can still play in making the world a safer place. Finally he will set out his thoughts on the changes that need to take place in the structure of government in order to deliver a more effective service for the British people.