2013 Event Speaker
Tony Blair - Former British Prime Minister
Tony Blair was Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1997 – 2007, having secured an historic third term in office. As leader of the Labour party, he led extensive public services reform, introduced a national minimum wage, oversaw the London 2012 Games bid and was instrumental in the Northern Ireland peace process.
Continuing his role in public life, Tony Blair now works to secure peace in the Middle East, improve governance in Africa, encourage understanding of world faiths and boost access to sport for children in the North East of England. He also remains committed to finding solutions to climate change.
Blair's memoir, A Journey: My Political Life was released in September 2010 and made The New York Times best seller list within a week of its release.