Lynton Jones

Lynton Jones graduated from the InterPol department in 1967 and joined the Diplomatic Service the following year.  In addition to the Foreign Office, he worked in embassies in Zambia, Thailand (during the Vietnam War) and Paris.  After Paris he moved into the financial services sector and became Director of Public Affairs at the London Stock Exchange.  He then became successively Chief Executive of Nasdaq International, the OMLondon Securities and Derivatives Exchange and the International Petroleum Exchange.  In 2002 he created and became chairman of Bourse Consult (www.bourse-consult.com). He now sits on various boards in a non-executive capacity and is currently Chair of the Development Advisory Board. 

What do you remember most about your time at Aber?

In 1967 there was some debate as to whether the Prince of Wales should spend part of his education at a Welsh University. Students at several of the then constituent colleges of the University of Wales, including Cardiff and Swansea, passed republican resolutions refusing to have Prince Charles sully their premises. We had a debate at Aber (at which we had to exclude the press, to their consternation) and I proposed the motion that we should welcome Prince Charles to Aber. Needless to say the debate was very much tongue in cheek, and the various speeches led to much hilarity in the audience (to the bewilderment of the press outside). We duly passed the motion welcoming Charles to Aber. To our astonishment, not too long afterwards, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles would indeed be spending a term at Aber. So his embryonic knowledge of Welsh is probably down to that hilarious debate we had.