The English-Speaking Union was honored to welcome
Sir John Bond, Group Chairman, HSBC Holdings plc, as its first
Margaret Thatcher Lecturer. Sir John presented a thought provoking
speech on the differences between American and European capitalism,
and on the future role of China in the global economy. Lady
Thatcher agreed to allow the series to bear her name and launched
it with an inaugural presentation in 1999. She herself approved
the choice of Sir John as the first lecturer because of his
vast experience in business and international matters. Sir John’s
connection to The English-Speaking Union began long before he
was invited to speak. In 1959, he was a Secondary School Exchange
Student at Cate School in California, a year – as he describes
it – that began his life-long love affair with America.
In the audience that night were alumni of several of the ESU’s
educational and scholarship programs, including two SSE students
from Britain. Sir John reminded them to take advantage of
this life-transforming year, as he himself had. His ESU experience
was the first step on a very remarkable and successful journey.
In appreciation for his appearance, the ESU presented Sir
John with the letter that Lady Thatcher sent on the occasion
of his address and a need-based travel grant in his name
was set up to help a youngster take up the Secondary School
Exchange, the same program in which Sir John himself was
a participant.
Speech: Adobe® Acrobat® file
Biography
Event
Highlights
Dinner Chairmen for the First Margaret Thatcher
Lecture
William R. Miller OBE
Chairman
The Miller Family Foundation
Youssef Nasr
President and CEO
HSBC Bank USA
David H. Komansky
Chairman and CEO
Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
Stephen G. Butler
Chairman and CEO
KPMG LLP
Peter R. Dolan
Chairman and CEO
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Jerry Judge
President and CEO
Lowe & Partners Worldwide
John A Luke, Jr.
Chairman and CEO
MeadWestvaco Corporation
T.J. Maloney
President
Lincolnshire Management, Inc.
James F. Munsell, Esq.
Partner
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton
Mrs. Edmond J. SafraIlan Yeshua
CEO
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Honorary Co-Chairmen
H.E. Sir Jeremy Greenstock, KCMG
H.M. Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the United Nations
Sir Thomas Harris, KBE, CMG
H.M. Consul-General of the United Kingdom to New York
H.E. Sir Christopher Meyer, KCMG
H.M. Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the United States of America
