Alan Donnelly is the Executive Chairman of Sovereign Strategy, having founded the company in 2000. He also currently serves as a non-executive Director of Cosworth, and on the Council of the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.
Alan served as a Labour Member of the European Parliament for eleven years from 1989, including a two year period as leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party. While an MEP, Alan specialised in economic, monetary and industrial affairs. He authored many specialist reports on EMU, Information Technology and also Maritime policy.
Alan chaired the European Parliament’s Committee for relations with the United States Congress for seven years and was actively involved in creating the Transatlantic Business Dialogue. For his work on German Unification, Alan was honoured with a Knighthood from the German state in 1991.
Outside of his professional interests, Alan is a patron of the Topsy Foundation, a British charity that works with the effects of HIV/AIDS in South Africa.
Following his retirement the British Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Tony Blair MP, issued the following statement: “Alan Donnelly has been an outstanding member of Labour’s team in Europe since he was elected 11 years ago. In this time he has served the people of the North East well and has consistently excelled, gaining positions on key committees within the European Parliament as well as playing a full part in the Labour Party back home in the UK.”