FCC club lunch with Sir Vernon ELLIS

Speaker: Sir Vernon ELLIS
Chairman, British Council

Topic: Soft Power and Cultural Diplomacy – Britain’s Global Image

Sir Vernon ELLIS, who was appointed Chair of the British Council in March 2010 and knighted last December for his services to the arts in the United Kingdom, will speak about how “soft power” increases levels of trust, and how that trust can lead to expansion of trade and investment. The more trust people have in a country, the more willing they are to do business with or study in that country.

Sir Vernon led Accenture’s operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India in the 1990s and was its International Chairman from 2001 to the end of 2007, establishing the consulting firm’s global corporate citizenship activities.

The British Council, a registered charity established in 1934, decades before Harvard professor Joseph NYE coined the term “soft power” in 1990, has 191 offices in 110 countries and territories to promote cultural relationships with Britain, knowledge of the country and the English language, and education.