Lady Olga Maitland

Lady Olga Maitland launched the Algeria British Business Council in partnership with Arslan Chikhaoui in 2005. This followed a UK Algeria trade conference in Algiers where Lady Olga was the opening keynote speaker. The launch led to a one on one meeting with H.E the President of the Republic of Algeria,M. Abdelazizi Bouteflika followed by meetings with the then Prime Minister M Ahmed Ouyhia a nd the Minister for Water Resources (today prime Minister M sellal) and indeed all the other senior ministers. In 2009 the ABBC was formally launched in London supported by the then British Ambassador to Algeria Mr Andrew Henderson.

Lady Olga became a Conservative Member of Parliament in 1992 until 1997 representing Sutton and Cheam. During that time she was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon Sir John Wheeler, MP, Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office with responsibility for counter terrorism. In 1983 Lady Olga launched a campaign to support the NATO alliance in the face of the anti-nuclear protest movements. This lead to meetings and messages of support with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at No 10 Downing street, with His Holiness Pope John Paul at the Vatican and with President Reagan in the Oval Room at the White House. Lady Olga wrote the book ‘Margaret Thatcher the First Ten Years’.

Today Lady Olga is President of the think tank Defence and Security Forum with many leading figures giving seminar addresses; and Chairman of Copenhagen UK, which specialises in corporate governance in association Grant Thornton, accountants and Pinsent Masons law firm. Prior to her political career Lady Olga was a leading columnist on the Sunday Express newspaper. She also a frequent broadcaster on both tv and radio discussing current affairs.