The Rt Hon Lord John Kerr of Kinlochard is a former British diplomat and an independent member of the House of Lords.
During his diplomatic career, he has worked on political-military issues in the Foreign Office and the Treasury, serving in Moscow, Pakistan and Washington. From from 1990 until 1995 was the UK’s Ambassador to the European Communities/European Union. In 1995, he served as the British Ambassador to the United States, a post he held until 1997. From 1997 until 2002, he was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service.
After leaving government he became Deputy Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell (2022-2012), Director, Rio Tinto (2003-2015), and Deputy Chairman of Scottish Power (2012-). In addition to his business appointments, Lord Kerr served as Chairman of the Court and Council, Imperial College, from 2005-2011 and as Chairman of the Centre for European Reform, amongst others.
He is also a member of the Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.