Leigh Turner visited the University of Strathclyde to deliver two sessions for students and invited guests, drawing on a distinguished diplomatic career. Mr Turner served as the UK Ambassador to Austria from 2016 to 2021 and to Ukraine from 2008 to 2012. His previous roles include Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, Consul General in Istanbul, and Director of Overseas Territories at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. 

In a diplomacy engagement session tailored to students on the MSc Diplomacy and International Security programme, held under the Chatham House Rule, Mr Turner explored the management of diplomatic crises, the role of intelligence in diplomacy, and the evolving international security landscape. This was followed by a public lecture, 'How to Learn from Diplomatic Tradecraft', in which he reflected on his extensive experience and key themes from his book, 'Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties'. A lively Q&A session addressed the UK's diplomatic and security challenges, as well as the broader international context.

Commenting on his visit, Mr. Turner said:

"Dr Rogelia Pastor-Castro has built a terrific community of students and alumni, full of energy and ambition. This was my second time at Strathclyde and I was impressed as ever by the acuity of the students, the broad range of questions, and the keen sense of purpose that filled the room. I always enjoy addressing students and this was no exception. I was especially grateful for the opportunity to talk to individual students after the talk, where we were able to talk about study, careers, languages, and the nuts and bolts of diplomacy."

Dr. Rogelia Pastor-Castro, Programme Director, emphasised the importance of practitioner engagement in enriching the student experience:

"When I designed the programme, I embedded practitioner engagement sessions as a core component to enhance student learning. Some of our graduates become diplomats, but many go on to careers in the Civil Service, think tanks, international institutions, as well as business and finance, fields where the skills and insights of diplomacy are highly transferable. It was especially rewarding to see so many alumni join current students and colleagues from across the University for this event."

The MSc in Diplomacy and International Security offers students the flexibility to devise their own curriculum according to their interests by selecting from a range of option classes in Politics, History and Law. The Foreign Office has awarded this program a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship in recognition of the programme's contribution to the scholarship themes: strengthening global peace, security and governance. To find out more about the MSc Diplomacy and International Security programme, please visit the programme website.