Christopher J. Makins

Christopher J. Makins is the former president of the Atlantic Council of the United States.

"On September 9, 1999 Christopher J. Makins succeeded David C. Acheson as president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council of the United States. Mr. Makins has spent almost all his professional life in the practice of international, and particularly transatlantic, relations, working in the government, corporate and nonprofit sectors.

"Most recently he was Vice President and then Executive Vice President for policy programs at the Aspen Institute (1989-97) and a senior adviser to the German Marshall Fund of the United States (1997-99). Before joining the Aspen Institute, Mr. Makins, a U.S. and British dual national, served for 11 years as a member of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service, working in London, Paris and Washington on European, Middle Eastern and transatlantic issues, including U.S.-European cooperation in high technology. After leaving the Diplomatic Service, Mr. Makins worked as Deputy Director of the Trilateral Commission (1975-76), at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. (1977-79), as a Division Manager and Assistant Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation (1979-89) and at the Roosevelt Center for American Policy Studies (1984-88).

"From 1981-1994 Mr. Makins worked in partnership with former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Ellsworth to provide a regular newsletter for U.S. and foreign corporate and other clients on U.S. foreign economic and defense policy and domestic politics.

"Mr. Makins has also served on several corporate and nonprofit boards and has published widely on issues related to transatlantic relations and East-West negotiations.

"Mr. Makins was born in Southampton, NY, educated at New College, Oxford, where he earned first class honors in Modern History, and was elected a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. He is fluent in French."

• Former Director, Gemstar Group