From 1996–1998 Sir Richard was head of the Foreign Office Department responsible for the Enlargement of the EU – negotiations with 10 candidate countries were started in early 1998 under the UK’s Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Stagg was appointed British Ambassador to Bulgaria in 1998 and served there for three years during the war over the future of Kosovo.

Between 2001 and 2007 Stagg was responsible for the Foreign Office’s global consular, visa and information work; and for the global estate, IT and HR. He was a member of the Foreign Office's management board from 2002 to 2007.

Stagg was British High Commissioner to India from 2007 to 2011, and Ambassador to Afghanistan from April 2012 until 2015. 

Please sign up to this talk here.