Sir Nigel Sheinwald

The British ambassador to the U.S., Sir Nigel Sheinwald, is to attend a luncheon of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta and the Atlanta chapter of the British American Business Group at the Commerce Club downtown on Monday, Sept. 13.

Sir Nigel is to be joined by Dennis P. Lockhart, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and chairman of the council.

Annabelle Malins, the British consul general in Atlanta, told GlobalAtlanta that she expects Sir Nigel and Mr. Lockhart will discuss topics such as the U.K. coalition government’s economic policy, the role of the private sector in current economic conditions, financial reform, the budget deficit and the importance of trade and foreign investment.

The ambassador has had a wide-ranging career since joining the diplomatic service in 1976 and has served in Washington, Brussels and Moscow as well as having held several positions in London.

He assumed his current position as ambassador to the U.S. in October 2007. Before becoming ambassador to Washington, he served as foreign policy and defense adviser to the prime minister from 2003-07 and was the U.K. ambassador and permanent representative to the European Union in Brussels from 2000-03.

Mr. Lockhart is the responsible for all of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s activities, including monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation and payment services. In addition, he serves on the Federal Reserve’s chief monetary policy board, the Federal Open Market Committee.

In recent comments during a speech he gave in Johnston City, Tenn., he said that in his opinion the U.S. is continuing to experience “a gradual recovery,” and that by the end of the year “the economy will look and feel better than today.”

The luncheon program is to begin at 11:30 a.m. with registration and costs $45 with Commerce Club parking validated.

To register, go to http://gsu.kintera.org/UK 

To learn more about the World Affairs Council, go to http://robinson.gsu.edu/wacatl/index.html.