Terry Waite CBE

Terry worked as Provincial Training Adviser to the first African Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and in that capacity travelled extensively throughout East Africa. Together with his wife and their four children, he witnessed the Amin coup in Uganda and both he and his wife narrowly escaped death on several occasions. From his office in Kampala he founded the Southern Sudan Project and was responsible for developing programmes of aid and development for this war-torn region.

In the early 1980s, Terry successfully negotiated the release of several hostages from Iran, attracting worldwide attention. In 1983 he negotiated with Colonel Ghadafi for the release of British hostages held in Libya and again was successful. In 1987, while negotiating for the release of Western hostages in Lebanon, Waite himself was taken captive and remained in captivity for 1,763 days, the first four years of which were spent in total solitary confinement. Following his release on 19th November 1991, Waite was elected a Fellow Commoner at Trinity Hall Cambridge England, where he wrote his first book Taken on Trust, which quickly became an international bestseller.

In his lectures, Terry gives audiences a perspective of world affairs founded on open communication, cooperation and a deep understanding of diverse cultures. There has been a particular interest in the lectures he has delivered relating his experiences as a negotiator and hostage to the pressures faced by executives and managers.