Lord Chris Smith

Lord Chris Smith is a Member of the House of Lords and Master of Pembroke College Cambridge. Chris is known for his distinguished contributions to culture, media, and sport during his time in Commons. In 1984 he made a courageous decision to publicly come out and became the first openly gay MP in the UK and would, later on, become the first openly gay Cabinet Minister in the world. Despite being diagnosed as HIV positive, Chris has led an accomplished career with many great achievements, refusing to allow his diagnosis to hold him back. Now he communicates this message through his work on the Life Really Changed campaign, which aims to empower others with HIV to fulfil their dreams and career goals.

Chris has received an exceptional education having studied at Edinburgh and Pembroke College Cambridge. He received a double first in English which was later followed by a PhD in Wordsworth and Coleridge. He also received the award-winning Kennedy Scholarship to study at the prestigious Harvard University. Following that he returned to the UK to begin his political journey. Chris commenced his political career as Labour Councillor for Islington Borough, before becoming the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury in 1983. In 1997 he was selected for the role of Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport where he was responsible for restoring free admissions to national museums and galleries, expanding funding for arts and sports, and initiating the switchover process for digital television.

Staunchly opposed to the Iraq War, Chris was one of the most senior figures to candidly speak out against the war. In 2001 he returned to the back benches before standing down from the Commons in 2005. Other distinguished roles held by Chris include Chairman of the Intellectual Property Regulation Board, former Chairman of the ASA and the Environment Agency, President of the Wordsworth Trust, and Board Member of the English National Opera among others.

Chris was responsible for establishing NESTA the Film Council, Creative Partnerships for Schools, and the Foundation for Youth Music. He played a pivotal role in championing the creative industries for the first time in Government and can be credited with many initiatives that have revitalised culture, media, and sports in the UK. A fascinating speaker with a distinguished career, boasting many accomplishments and achievements, Lord Chris Smith has many exciting anecdotes to share.