Philip Lader
Philip Lader was appointed chairman of WPP in 2001. The US Ambassador to the Court of St James's(the UK) from 1997 to 2001. Prior to his ambassadorship and return to the private sector, Lader served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Before entering government service, he was executive vice president of the company managing the late Sir James Goldsmith's US holdings and president of both a prominent American real estate company and universities in the US and Australia. A lawyer, he is also a Senior Advisor to Morgan Stanley, a director of RAND Corporation, Marathon Oil and AES Corporations, a member of the Council of Lloyd's (Insurance Market), a Trustee of the British Museum and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[1]
He serves on the board of the St. Paul's Cathedral Foundation. Lader is also the founder of Renaissance Weekend, an elite exclusive retreat popularized by President Bill Clinton. Lader is also a Patron of the Scottish North American Business Council and of the British American Project
Lader cries in public
On 13 September 2001 Lader appeared on the BBC TV programmme Question Time in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington. Both audience members and panellists were critical of US foreign policy during the programmme and Lader appeared to find the criticism overwhelming. Some reports said he had 'tears in his eyes'[2]
'At one point', reported the Daily Telegraph 'Philip Lader, the former American ambassador, who was on the panel, was slow handclapped by a section of the audience. He said with tears in his eyes: "I have to share with you that I find it hurtful that you can suggest that a majority of the world despises the US.' Lader went on:
- "My parents were immigrants to the US. We have fought as a people and nation for the rule of law and I simply want to say that it saddens me how it is possible on this night, within 48 hours [of the attack], that because of animosity of feeling on political issues we can frankly abstract ourselves from the senseless human victimisation and suffering that has occurred."
Tam Dalyell MP, one of the panellists on the show complained when the BBC issued an apology about the programme:
- Mr Dalyell said that the BBC had nothing to apologise for. He said: "I know what the feeling may have been, but I think it was representative. It was an audience who were a cross-section of people in London, for God's sake."[3]
BBC Director General, Greg Dyke also 'personally apologised to the former US ambassador to Britain, Philip Lader, a panel member on the programme, for any distress he might have felt during some of the debate's fiercest exchanges.' Dyke said "I have today spoken to Phillip Lader, the former US Ambassador to the UK who was on the panel, and apologised for any distress the programme may have caused him."[4]
External links
Notes
- ^ Sandra Laville and Matt Born BBC says sorry to tearful US envoy Daily Telegraph (Filed: 15/09/2001).
- ^BBC chief apologises for terror debate BBC Online, Saturday, 15 September, 2001, 17:15 GMT 18:15 UK
