Foreign Office appoints new Strategic Communications Director

30 Apr 2008

The Foreign & Commonwealth has appointed Ian Hargreaves as the new Strategic Communications Director. He will come to the FCO on secondment on Civil Service terms from Ofcom.

Ian Hargreaves has been appointed as the new Strategic Communications Director for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. He will come to the Foreign Office on secondment as a Civil Servant from Ofcom, where he is currently a senior partner and Board member responsible for Ofcom's international activities.

Welcoming his appointment Peter Ricketts, Permanent Under Secretary at the FCO, said:

"Both the Foreign Secretary and I are delighted to welcome Ian Hargreaves to the FCO. Ian is one of the UK's leading professional communicators. His experience as Director of Corporate and Public Affairs at BAA, and as Editor of the New Statesmen and the Independent, will be invaluable in helping the FCO to develop its global campaigning skills and to broaden the debate on foreign policy to a wider public in the UK and abroad."

Ian Hargreaves succeeds Lucian Hudson, current Director of Communications, who is moving on to another FCO assignment. Peter Ricketts said:

"I am very grateful for the key role Lucian has played in setting up a unified Communications Directorate and mainstreaming communications skills across the organisation".

Notes for Editors

1. As the FCO's Strategic Communications Director, Ian will have responsibility for communications and public advocacy issues, organising the FCO's public diplomacy network both at home and overseas. He will also coordinate the FCO's wider public advocacy tools, working closely with the British Council and the BBC World Service.

2. Ian Hargreaves was appointed to the Board of Ofcom in December 2002. In March 2007 he was appointed as Senior Partner in a new executive role on the Board with responsibility for leadership of Ofcom’s engagement with European and international bodies. Prior to taking up his Ofcom role, Ian was Group Director of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at BAA plc, a former chairman of Demos, and a member of the Chancellor's Social Investment Task Force. He is also a former director of Greenpeace UK and of the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. His previous appointments include Editor of The Independent newspaper, Editor of the New Statesman magazine, Deputy Editor of the Financial Times and Director of BBC News and Current Affairs.