Rory Stewart has had a diverse and impactful career spanning politics, diplomacy, academia, and writing. From his early days in the UK Diplomatic Service to his tenure as an independent Member of Parliament and Secretary of State for International Development, Stewart has been involved in significant roles both domestically and internationally.

Rory will be in conversation with Clarissa Ward, CNN’s Chief International Correspondent. A multi-award-winning journalist, bringing decades of experience reporting from conflict zones worldwide, from Syria, Gaza to Ukraine. Author of “On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist,” Ward’s memoir details her courageous career documenting the turbulent reshaping of our world.

This session promises a captivating dialogue between two seasoned voices in politics and journalism, offering unique insights into global affairs and the art of storytelling amidst the unfolding of history.

This session is in collaboration with Pranvera Shema Smith, founder of On Front Line.

Speakers: 

Rory Stewart served in the UK Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development, and before that as Prisons Minister, Minister for Africa, Minister for Development, Environment Minister and Chair of the Defence Committee. He ran against Boris Johnson for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 2019. Earlier in his career he was briefly in the British Army, before serving as a diplomat in Indonesia, the Balkans and Iraq, establishing and running a charity in Afghanistan, and holding a chair at Harvard University. His 21-month 6,000-milewalk across Asia, including Afghanistan, is recorded in his New York Times bestseller, The Places in Between. His other books include Occupational Hazards, and The Marches. Stewart is now the Brady-Johnson Professor of the Practice of Grand Strategy at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, a senior adviser at the non-profit organisation GiveDirectly, and the co-host with Alastair Campbell of the UK’s leading podcast The Rest Is Politics.

Clarissa Ward is CNN’s multi-award winning chief international correspondent based in London. For the last two decades she has reported from front lines around the world from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Yemen to Ukraine and Georgia during the Russian incursion in 2008. A recipient of the National Press Club’s most esteemed prize, the Fourth Estate Award, Ward is the author of ‘On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist’ (Penguin Press), a memoir that details her singular career as a conflict reporter and how she has documented the violent remaking of the world from close range. She is also the original host of the award-winning limited series podcast from CNN Audio, Tug of War.