Sherard Cowper-Coles

Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles is a Senior Adviser at HSBC Holdings, following his retirement in December 2023 after a 10-year tenure. He led HSBC’s Public and Government Affairs functions for eight years and previously served as Senior Adviser to the Group Chairman and CEO. Cowper-Coles also chaired HSBC’s Oman operations and was a board member of HSBC Egypt.

Cowper-Coles is the Chair of the China-Britain Business Council and has chaired several other prominent business councils, including the Saudi British Joint Business Council and the Omani British Business Council.

Before joining HSBC, Cowper-Coles was International Business Development Director at BAE Systems. His career prior to that spanned over 30 years in HM Diplomatic Service, which he joined after earning a first-class degree in Classics from Oxford University. He held senior roles in Cairo, Washington, and Paris, including Private Secretary to the Head of the Diplomatic Service and Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary. Notably, he was Head of the Foreign Office Hong Kong Department during the 1994–1997 transition of Hong Kong’s governance. His diplomatic postings included Ambassador to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Cowper-Coles was the first Chair of the Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery Trust, from November 2013 until December 2022, during which time £12m was raised to restore and operate Sir John Soane’s “dream” country house. He is Honorary Vice President of the UK Financial Inclusion Commission, on which he served as founding Chair for five years; a Committee Member of The Hong Kong Association; and a Board Member of Asia House.

In addition to his professional roles, Cowper-Coles is an Ambassador for the Money Advice Trust and the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, where he also served on the Appeal Committee. He supports various charitable causes, including serving on fundraising committees for Maggie’s cancer support charity and the Zoological Society of London, and as a Trustee of the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation.

Cowper-Coles is an Honorary Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford, and holds an honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) from the University of Westminster. In recognition of his cultural and academic contributions, he is President of the Jane Austen Society and a Liveryman of both the Skinners’ and World Traders’ Companies.

He speaks French and Arabic, some Hebrew and rudimentary Pashtu.