Peter is Co-founder and Chairman of Global Counsel. He is a former European Trade Commissioner and British First Secretary of State. As Trade Commissioner between 2004 and 2008, he negotiated trade agreements with many countries and led European negotiations in the WTO Doha World Trade Round.
Prior to this, he held a number of Cabinet posts under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown including Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Northern Ireland Secretary and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. He was Member of Parliament for Hartlepool in the UK from 1992 until 2004 and Director of Campaigns and Communications for the Labour Party between 1985 and 1990.
As well as Chairman of Global Counsel, Peter is a member of the International Advisory Committee of BlueVoyant, a cyber security company and member of the Group Holding Board of the Bank of London. He is a Governor and Member of the Council of Management at the Ditchley Foundation. Peter is Chairman of the Design Museum in London and Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University.
Peter has deep roots in Qatar, having visited the country on many occasions as a government minister and now in his role as the Chairman of Global Counsel. The Global Counsel team works with a number of Qatari entities to support policy development and analyse political and regulatory risks. The Global Counsel team established a permanent presence under the license of the QFZ in April 2021.