Frank Gardner OBE

For all speaker enquiries, please contact Alice Saunders on: +44 (0)20 7471 7900
Frank spent nine years as an investment banker in New York, London and Bahrain before switching to journalism and joining the BBC in 1995. Frank has reported extensively on the global ˜War on Terror' in Guantanamo Bay, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. In 2004 Frank survived being shot six times at close range by Al-Qaeda terrorists in a Riyadh suburb in Saudia Arabia. He went on to write the best selling book Blood and Sand (Bantam, 2006), the poignant story of what can happen to your belief system when the culture you have embraced ends up trying to kill you. He was awarded an OBE in 2005 for services to journalism. In 2018 he was awarded the University of Southern California's Tommy Trojan Trophy for distinguished speaking.
As a career broadcaster and a witty and gifted communicator, Frank shares his passion for the Middle East, travel and adventure. He draws on a unique perspective and understanding of both domestic and international security. Frank's own personal story of survival combined with his extensive knowledge of Middle Eastern history and politics make for a compelling event.
ThemesAdventure, Adversity, International Affairs, Politics & Current Affairs, Fear & Risk, Security