Stephen Sackur Keynote Speaker

  • Presenter of BBC HARDtalk (2004-present)
  • Presenter of GMT on BBC World News (2010-present)
  • BBC Washington correspondent (1997-2002)

Stephen Sackur's Biography

Stephen Sackur is the current presenter and host of the BBC’s flagship current affairs and interview programme HARDtalk, having succeeded Tim Sebastian in 2004. He is also the main Friday presenter of GMT on BBC World News.

In his role at HARDtalk, Stephen has conducted many landmark interviews with international personalities including: Al Gore, Hugo Chávez, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Felipe Calderón, Shimon Peres, Mahmoud Abbas, Jalal Talabani and a host of other leaders and politicians from around the world. He has also interviewed leading cultural figures including Gore Vidal, Richard Dawkins, Noam Chomsky, Anwar Ibrahim, Annie Lennox and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Prior to taking up his role at HARDtalk, Stephen was a widely followed foreign affairs correspondent covering major stories such as the Velvet Revolution of Czechoslovakia in 1989 and the reunification of Germany in 1990. During the first Gulf War, Stephen was embedded with the British army for eight weeks where he covered the conflict and broke the news of the massacre of the retreating Iraqi army on the road leading out of Kuwait.

Stephen was the BBC’s Chief Washington Correspondent between 1997 and 2002, before returning to Iraq to cover the Second Gulf war in 2003. He has interviewed Presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush, covered the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Over the past 10 years he has established himself as a popular moderator and chair, presenting at international conferences and high profile events around the world – from the IMF in Washington DC to the international climate change summit in Copenhagen.

In June 2017 Sackur was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of International Relations (DIR) by the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations.

To book Stephen Sackur for your event please contact us here.

Read More

Videos of Stephen Sackur

Interviewing Omar Abdullah on BBC HARDtalk (2014)
Moderating Discussion on Political Islam (2013)

Comments & Testimonials

Stephen did a great job and had complete control over the presentation ceremony which made it run very smoothly. He was very professional and managed to keep to our tight timings....We would definitely consider using Stephen again in the future.
Seatrade Awards, 2013

Check Stephen Sackur's speaking fees and availability

Discover other speakers

Jeff Benedict Speaker
Exclusive
Jeff Benedict
Best-Selling Author & Special Features Writer, Sports Illustrated
Simon Kuper
Simon Kuper Speaker
Exclusive
Simon Kuper
Perspectives on globalisation, urban culture, politics and football
Raquel Willis Speaker
Exclusive
Raquel Willis
Award-winning activist, journalist, and media strategist dedicated to collective liberation
Suzy Walton Speaker
Exclusive
Suzy Walton
Dr Suzy Walton is an expert in corporate governance – how companies run and indeed how government runs.
Lindsay Newman Speaker
Exclusive
Lindsay Newman
Geopolitical Risk Expert
Robert Shrimsley Speaker
Exclusive
Robert Shrimsley
UK chief political commentator and executive editor the Financial Times
Craig Foster Speaker
Exclusive
Craig Foster
Academy Award Winning Documentary Filmmaker, My Octopus Teacher
Mitt Romney Speaker
Exclusive
Mitt Romney
U.S. Senator, Utah (2019-2025) and Governor of Massachusetts (2003-07)
Mary Ann Sieghart Speaker
Exclusive
Mary Ann Sieghart
Highly Regarded Current Affairs Commentator and author of award-winning book, The Authority Gap
George Eaton Speaker
Exclusive
George Eaton
Senior Editor at the New Statesman