Leigh Turner

Leigh Turner is a retired British diplomat and writer, known for being a reflective author bridging diplomacy and storytelling. He was UK Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna from 2016 to 2021. 

Leigh Turner’s career began in the UK Civil Service after graduating from Downing College, Cambridge. He first worked in Whitehall and later joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he began a long and varied diplomatic career. His early postings included Vienna, Moscow, and Bonn, where he witnessed the pivotal final years of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Germany. From the mid-1990s, Turner took on increasingly senior roles. At the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York, he worked on global security and humanitarian issues. He also spent some time working for the UK Delegation to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna, where he focused on arms control and European stability. After this, Leigh took a career break and pursued writing. He published travel journalism in outlets such as the Financial Times and The Boston Globe and then later returned to the FCO, becoming Director of Overseas Territories in 2006, as well as serving as Commissioner for the British Antarctic Territory and British Indian Ocean Territory. Later in 2008 Leigh was appointed British Ambassador to Ukraine, and then four years later he became the British Consul-General in Istanbul where he oversaw UK Trade and Investment. In 2016 he was appointed British Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna.

Leigh’s career received recognition after he was awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to British interests in Ukraine and Turkey. He is the author of the book Lessons in Diplomacy which received strong critical and peer praise and was described as a masterclass in diplomacy. Since retiring Leigh has dedicated his time to writing and public speaking. His speaking engagements are engaging, authoritative, and approachable speaker. He has the unique ability to blend his first hand experiences with humour, making him and extremely sought after speaker. If you are interested in hiring Leigh Turner for your next event don’t hesitate to hire him today!