• Conference chair & Facilitator
• The Middle East
• Economics
• Current Affairs
• World Politics

Tim Sebastian, the award-winning former BBC foreign correspondent, presented HARDtalk, BBC World's daily half-hour interview programme. 



For HARDtalk, Tim travelled to many countries around the world including Israel, Germany, Hong Kong and the USA, interviewing presidents, prime ministers and kings, as well as authors, actors and musicians. 



In 1982, Tim was the winner of the "Richard Dimbleby Award" at BAFTA and was also named "Television Journalist of the Year" by the Royal Television Society. For two years running, in 2000 and 2001, he received the Royal Television Society's "Interviewer of the Year" Award. 



After three years based in Warsaw, Tim became the BBC's Europe Correspondent in 1982. Two years later, as the BBC's correspondent he went to Moscow where he stayed until 1985 before moving to Washington, where he was based from 1986 to 1989.

Tim is the founder and chairman of The Doha Debates which have been broadcast continuously on BBC World News since 2004. The programmes- recorded in the Gulf state Qatar- provide a unique, uncensored forum for discussing the most controversial issues in the Arab and Islamic worlds.



Born in London in 1952, Tim speaks Russian and German and holds a BA Honours degree in modern languages from Oxford University. 



A best-selling author, he has written eight novels and two non-fiction books.

Tim also chairs conferences and seminars and is a highly skilled conference facilitator and after dinner speaker. He has a wealth of experience hosting events and award ceremonies, both at home and abroad.