Key achievements – Sir Stewart Eldon, KCMG, OBE
2010 – Senior Adviser on Defence & Security, Transparency International
- Contributed to a Series of Conferences on Transition in Afghanistan organized by Transparency International, RUSI and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
- Work on Linkages between Corruption and Conflict.
2010- NATO Subject Matter Expert on Building Integrity
- Led NATO Assessment Missions to Bulgarian and Croatian Defence Ministries.
- Delivered Keynote Address at Second Building Integrity Conference in Monterey, California February 2011.
2010- Member of ADRg Ambassadors LLP
- Fully Accredited Commercial Mediator.
- Trained IAEA Inspectors in negotiation, diplomacy & mediation.
- Contributed to UNIDO Conference on Diversification, Accra, March 2011.
2010- Appointed Independent Member of the Parole Board for England & Wales
2006-2010: UK Permanent Representative to NATO
- Inspired the drafting of a new Strategic Concept for the Alliance.
- Secured key compromises on NATO’s approach to Ukraine and Georgia, and undertook successful outreach activities in these and other aspirant countries.
- Used his UN knowledge to encourage improved NATO-UN relations.
- Ensured the UK led NATO work on Afghanistan, including on a more strategic approach to managing the ISAF operation, socializing the concept of Counter-Insurgency, and taking forward the NATO Training Mission.
- Updated governance within the UK Delegation, establishing it as the only joint FCO/MoD post in the UK overseas network and increasing its effectiveness. Implemented major IT changes as a driver for further efficiencies.
2003-2006: British Ambassador to Ireland
- Established the Ambassador as a key driver for reconciliation by building contacts North and South of the Irish border and publicly supporting cross-border initiatives.
- Persuaded the Irish Government to rehabilitate the position of British Veterans in the Republic. First official UK representative at a parade marking the (90th) Anniversary of the Easter Rising.
- Supported British and Irish business to make Ireland the UK’s fourth largest export market and inward investor.
- Modernized management of the Embassy with an improved staff appraisal system and performance-related pay. Acted as a successful test-bed for new FCO IT systems.
1998-2002: UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, New York (with Personal Rank of Ambassador)
- Led for the UK on East Timor, breaking new ground in the Security Council (subsequently documented in a book published by the International Peace Academy in New York) and participating in a Security Council Mission to the territory.
- Negotiated the Millennium Declaration adopted at the Millennium Session of the General Assembly in 2000.
- Successfully managed the staffing and other implications of 9/11.
1997-98: Director (Conferences), FCO
- Organized four distinctive and successful summit meetings, in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Cardiff soon after the Blair government was elected, employing three event management companies on a contract basis.
- Clarified FCO Sponsorship arrangements, driven by the requirements of the Summit meetings.
Earlier Career
2002-3 & 1993-94: Sabbaticals at Yale (on East Timor) and Harvard. His Harvard publication on the Impact of IT Systems on Foreign Ministries helped form FCO thinking on IT in the 1990’s.
1990-91: Deputy Crisis Manager for the 1990-91 Gulf War. Awarded OBE in Gulf War Honours List
