The Rt Hon Lord St John of Bletso has been a Crossbench Member of the House of Lords since 1978. He qualified as an attorney in South Africa. He currently serves as a director of several London Stock Exchange listed companies. He has been non-executive Chairman of OCRA Worldwide since 1993 and is responsible for group strategy. He is Vice Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary South Africa Group, an Executive Committee Member of the All Party Africa Group and a Council Member of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee. He served as Chairman of the charity, Citizens Online from 2001 to 2008. He was also an extra Lord-in-Waiting to HM The Queen.
His special interests are foreign affairs, particularly Africa, clean technology, wildlife conservation and sport. He plays a proactive role in the charitable sector, as a trustee of 7 charities mostly focussed on Africa. His hobbies include tennis, golf, skiing, running and bridge.