Max Foster
Encyclopedia
Max Foster is a senior Anchor/Correspondent on CNN International
, based in London
.
, England
where he attended Ridgeway School, Swindon and Dauntsey's School
, Devizes. Foster read Business Administration at Cardiff University
and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism at Highbury College
, Portsmouth
.
. After spotting Anthony Hopkins
at a local restaurant and requesting an interview, Foster secured a widely quoted exclusive. He later gained a place at graduate journalism school, which included a work placement at BBC Wiltshire Sound in Swindon. Foster was offered a reporter contract and he stayed there for two years.
In 1997, Foster transferred to the BBC World Service
as a Business presenter-reporter and quickly became a mainstay on the flagship Newshour
programme. Foster made his name covering the Asian Financial Crisis and, at the age of 24, began hosting World Business Report and became the youngest regular presenter of a BBC network radio news programme.
In 2000, Foster went on attachment to BBC TV Business Programmes and accepted a permanent position there. He reported for Business Breakfast
, BBC World
and Working Lunch
before taking up a full-time role on BBC Breakfast
. Foster presented special coverage around the launch of the Euro
and travelled widely around the UK as a live reporter. He had an exclusive on internet banking security which forced Abbey National
(now Santander
) to temporarily close down its online service, Cahoot
. He also presented the business news and hosted Breakfast Briefing alongside Moira Stuart
.
to become their London-based Anchor/Correspondent. He hosted special coverage around the failing health of Pope John Paul II
and, soon after, was appointed permanent co-anchor of CNN Today
. In early 2008 he also took on CNN World News
.
On CNN Today, Foster led special coverage of several major stories including the outbreak of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, the failed London Bombings, the Saddam Hussein
trial, the death of King Fahd and the Blair-Brown handover of UK power. Foster broke news that the levees around New Orleans had collapsed, an event that would escalate into tragedy. CNN won a Peabody Award
for its coverage of Hurricane Katrina
and its aftermath. Foster was heavily involved in CNN's coverage of the Financial Crisis and in November 2008, he anchored Mumbai Attacks, a live six hour simulcast on CNN and CNN International. Foster followed the early development of the street art movement by reporting on Banksy
and Adam Neate
. His candid, early, interview with Stephenie Meyer
has been widely quoted in books and magazines.
In April 2009, Foster was promoted to primetime on CNN International where he now anchors Connect the World, Quest Means Business and various feature shows. Foster acts as special correspondent on major British events. For the 2010 UK elections, Foster interviewed David Cameron
and Nick Clegg
and commentated from Downing Street
as Gordon Brown
resigned and David Cameron took up the premiership. In November of the same year he led coverage around the announcement of Prince William's engagement to Catherine Middleton from Buckingham Palace
.
In his primetime role, Foster has interviewed the Prime Ministers of Britain
, Iraq
, Sweden
and Haiti
; The presidents of the European Commission
, Georgia
and the Maldives
; the CEOs of BP
, General Motors
, Apple
, SAP
, Ford, Airbus
, Twitter
, and Shell
. He has sat down with celebrities including Matt Damon
, Ricky Gervais
, Dame Julie Andrews
, Shakira
, Dolly Parton
, Keith Richards
, Olivia Newton-John
, Bryan Adams
, Jennifer Lopez
, Jason Mraz
, Amitabh Bachchan
, Aishwarya Rai
, Diddy
, George Lucas
, Oliver Stone
, John Legend
and Sir Michael Caine
.
Foster devised a show called Edit Room for CNN which went to air in June 2010. In it, he discusses news coverage with two notable guests; revealing their personal frustrations and revelations. Guests have included Emma Thompson
, P. J. O'Rourke
, Fatima Bhutto
, Sienna Miller
, John Prescott
and representatives of various NGOs.
with his wife and two young children. He is half Swedish.
CNN International
CNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly...
, based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Education
Foster spent most of his childhood in WiltshireWiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he attended Ridgeway School, Swindon and Dauntsey's School
Dauntsey's School
Dauntsey's School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the village of West Lavington, Wiltshire, England. The School was founded in 1542, in accordance with the will of William Dauntesey, a master of the Worshipful Company of Mercers....
, Devizes. Foster read Business Administration at Cardiff University
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism at Highbury College
Highbury College
Highbury College is a general further education college in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It provides vocational and academic education and training, from first-step courses to university level foundation degrees, specialised services for business and education in the community. The College is a...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.
BBC
Foster started his career at the age of 16 on Hospital Radio Swindon with his own weekly entertainment programme. At University, he approached the local BBC office and was offered a reporter position on Rave, a national entertainment show on BBC Radio FiveBBC Radio 5
BBC Radio 5 may refer to the following United Kingdom radio stations:* BBC Radio 5 , on air from 1990 to 1994.* BBC Radio 5 Live, the current station, which replaced BBC Radio 5 in 1994....
. After spotting Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
at a local restaurant and requesting an interview, Foster secured a widely quoted exclusive. He later gained a place at graduate journalism school, which included a work placement at BBC Wiltshire Sound in Swindon. Foster was offered a reporter contract and he stayed there for two years.
In 1997, Foster transferred to the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
as a Business presenter-reporter and quickly became a mainstay on the flagship Newshour
Newshour
Newshour is BBC World Service's flagship international news and current affairs programme, which broadcasts twice daily: at 1400 and 2100 each edition lasting one hour. It consists of news bulletins on the hour and half hour, international interviews and in-depth reports of world news...
programme. Foster made his name covering the Asian Financial Crisis and, at the age of 24, began hosting World Business Report and became the youngest regular presenter of a BBC network radio news programme.
In 2000, Foster went on attachment to BBC TV Business Programmes and accepted a permanent position there. He reported for Business Breakfast
Business Breakfast
Business Breakfast is a business programme which aired on BBC One from September 4, 1989 to September 29, 2000.-Breakfast News:Breakfast News was a daily news programme which aired between 6:00am and 7:00am, directly preceding Breakfast News between January 4, 1993 and September 29, 2000...
, BBC World
BBC World
BBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world...
and Working Lunch
Working Lunch
Working Lunch was a television programme broadcast on BBC Two which covered business, personal finance and consumer news between 1994 and 2010. The programme was first aired on 19 September 1994. It had a quirky, relaxed style, especially when compared to other BBC business shows such as World...
before taking up a full-time role on BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
. Foster presented special coverage around the launch of the Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
and travelled widely around the UK as a live reporter. He had an exclusive on internet banking security which forced Abbey National
Abbey National
Abbey National plc was a UK-based bank and former building society, which latterly traded under the Abbey brand name. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Grupo Santander of Spain in 2004, and was rebranded as Santander in January 2010, forming Santander UK along with the savings business of the...
(now Santander
Santander UK
Santander UK plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Spanish Santander Group. Based in the United Kingdom, it operates under the name of Santander. Santander is the third largest bank in the UK in terms of deposits, the second largest in terms of mortgages held, and the fourth largest in terms of...
) to temporarily close down its online service, Cahoot
Cahoot
cahoot is the internet division of Santander UK plc, the United Kingdom subsidiary of Banco Santander of Spain. Cahoot was launched in 2000 as the internet-based banking brand of Abbey National plc, and at the end of 2004 had some 650,000 customers...
. He also presented the business news and hosted Breakfast Briefing alongside Moira Stuart
Moira Stuart
Moira Clare Ruby Stuart OBE is a British journalist who was the first African-Caribbean female newsreader on British television...
.
CNN
In 2005 Foster was approached by CNN InternationalCNN International
CNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly...
to become their London-based Anchor/Correspondent. He hosted special coverage around the failing health of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
and, soon after, was appointed permanent co-anchor of CNN Today
CNN Today
World Report is a rolling news programme by CNN International airing weekdays, from Atlanta, London and Hong Kong. The weekend editions also air from the CNN Center in Atlanta.-Previous incarnations:...
. In early 2008 he also took on CNN World News
CNN World News
CNN World News, a program that airs on CNN International News and CNN International News Asia Pacific. It is supplemented by CNN World News Asia and CNN World News Europe The show's traditional time run is 24-hours if it is followed by CNN World News Middle East The show's regular presenters...
.
On CNN Today, Foster led special coverage of several major stories including the outbreak of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, the failed London Bombings, the Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
trial, the death of King Fahd and the Blair-Brown handover of UK power. Foster broke news that the levees around New Orleans had collapsed, an event that would escalate into tragedy. CNN won a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
for its coverage of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and its aftermath. Foster was heavily involved in CNN's coverage of the Financial Crisis and in November 2008, he anchored Mumbai Attacks, a live six hour simulcast on CNN and CNN International. Foster followed the early development of the street art movement by reporting on Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
and Adam Neate
Adam Neate
Adam Neate is a British painter, conceptual artist and one of the best known street artists in the world. He specialises in painting urban art on recycled cardboard, and has left thousands of works in the street for anyone to collect...
. His candid, early, interview with Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer is an American author known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies globally, with translations into 37 different languages...
has been widely quoted in books and magazines.
In April 2009, Foster was promoted to primetime on CNN International where he now anchors Connect the World, Quest Means Business and various feature shows. Foster acts as special correspondent on major British events. For the 2010 UK elections, Foster interviewed David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
and Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
and commentated from Downing Street
Downing Street
Downing Street in London, England has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an...
as Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
resigned and David Cameron took up the premiership. In November of the same year he led coverage around the announcement of Prince William's engagement to Catherine Middleton from Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
.
In his primetime role, Foster has interviewed the Prime Ministers of Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
; The presidents of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
; the CEOs of BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, Apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
, SAP
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
, Ford, Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, and Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
. He has sat down with celebrities including Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
, Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
, Dame Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
, Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
, Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
, Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
, Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
, Diddy
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
, George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
, Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
, John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
and Sir Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
.
Foster devised a show called Edit Room for CNN which went to air in June 2010. In it, he discusses news coverage with two notable guests; revealing their personal frustrations and revelations. Guests have included Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
, P. J. O'Rourke
P. J. O'Rourke
Patrick Jake "P. J." O'Rourke is an American political satirist, journalist, writer, and author. O'Rourke is the H. L. Mencken Research Fellow at the Cato Institute and is a regular correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, The American Spectator, and The Weekly Standard, and frequent panelist on...
, Fatima Bhutto
Fatima Bhutto
Fatima Bhutto born, Fatima Murtaza Bhutto on 29 May 1982, is a Pakistani poet and writer. She is granddaughter of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the niece of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and daughter of Murtaza Bhutto....
, Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview...
, John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
and representatives of various NGOs.
Personal life
Foster lives in BerkshireBerkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
with his wife and two young children. He is half Swedish.
External links
- Max Foster CNN.com