Charlotte Leslie Keynote Speaker

Charlotte Leslie is the Director of the Conservative Middle East Council (CMEC) – navigating the turbulence of both the Conservative Party and the MENA region. She has more than a decade of experience in the region, leading delegations at the highest levels.

In 2010, Charlotte was elected as one of Parliament’s youngest MPs. Tipped as a rising star, she was appointed David Cameron’s Big Society Ambassador. However, she soon made her name investigating NHS scandals. In 2013 she was named the Spectator’s Backbencher of the Year: “She took on the NHS establishment when the government was afraid to”. In raising concerns over the disempowerment of the professions, Charlotte instigated the set-up of The Chartered College of Teaching, which now has tens of thousands of members.

Charlotte is renowned for leveraging her range of experience for a fresh and pragmatic approach to both domestic and geopolitical issues: She was elected chair of the prestigious All Party Parliamentary Group on Saudi Arabia but was at the same time chair of APPGs for boxing (She pioneered women’s boxing in the 1990s). She studied Classics at Balliol, Oxford but was simultaneously the first female surf-life-guard on Cornish beaches.

Most recently, she has become known for winning a high-profile 3-year legal battle, winning national praise for her resilience, strategy and humour. The case is featured in Tom Burgis’ book “Cuckooland: Where the Rich own the truth”.

Charlotte is an experienced and accomplished speaker, broadcaster and writer, in the UK and internationally. She was the candidate-blogger for both the Daily Mail and The Guardian prior to the 2010 election and has writes for The Spectator, Prospect Magazine, national and international press, written for the BBC and has broadcast widely. She hosts CMEC’s regular podcast on MENA affairs.