Craig Oliver

Sir Craig Oliver was the Director of Politics and Communications for the British Prime Minister, David Cam-eron for six years. Positioned at the heart of No 10 Downing Street, Sir Craig was responsible for the Gov-ernment’s strategy, public messaging, and campaigns during his tenure.

During his six years at the side of David Cameron, Sir Craig famously spearheaded the 2015 General Elec-tion triumph by defying the polls and winning an unexpected overall majority, and was Director of Com-munications for the Remain campaign during the Brexit Referendum in 2016. Sir Craig wrote a bestselling book about the experience - “Unleashing Demons” - which was the inspiration behind the Channel 4 dra-ma “Brexit: The Uncivil War” depicting Sir Craig and Dominic Cummings as the main protagonists, with Rory Kinnear and Benedict Cumberbatch playing their respective characters.

Sir Craig’s many achievements during his period in No 10 included a radical overhaul of government communications making them fit for purpose in the digital age. Indeed, Sir Craig will speak to audiences and share his expertise gained through his time at the heart of Government, covering themes which in-clude Digital transformation, communications strategy and leadership.

Sir Craig will also reflect on the challenges they faced when navigating what he calls “a 360-degree media world”, which occurred during periods of crises, extreme change and volatility, revealing many anecdotes and sharp insights during his time at Prime Minister Cameron’s side.

Before working with Mr Cameron, Sir Craig was a multi award-winning journalist, which includes editorial responsibility for the BBC’s flagship television news programmes to becoming Controller of BBC Global, where Sir Craig was responsible for the corporation’s TV, radio and online content around the world. Sir Craig now often finds himself on the other side of the camera as a broadcaster and commentator and is in demand as a moderator and host for events where his expertise enables him to facilitate and augment panel discussions on the full range of issues and challenges faced in the UK and around the world, includ-ing the inside story of Brexit, politics, society, and what the future holds for the UK outside the EU.

Sir Craig is a Principal at the Global CEO Advisory Firm Teneo working with some of the biggest businesses in the world. He is also a trustee of the Make a Wish charity.