Edmund King is a British public relations professional, best known for media appearances on the subject of motorists in his role as President of

The Automobile Association AA Limited, trading as The AA (formerly The Automobile Association), is a British motoring association. Founded in 1905, it provides vehicle insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans, motoring advice, road maps and other services. Th ...

. King was educated at

St Hugh's College, Tollerton St Hugh's College (also referred to as Tollerton Hall and Roclaveston Manor) was a Roman Catholic minor seminary in Tollerton founded by the Diocese of Nottingham. The manor house dates to 1792, and the college was founded on the premises in 1948. ...

, Nottinghamshire and studied politics at the

University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick univer ...

, where he has since returned as Visiting Professor of Transport. Starting out as a civil servant, King worked as a committee secretary for the

Social Science Research Council The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is a US-based, independent, international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing research in the social sciences and related disciplines. Established in Manhattan in 1923, it today maintains a he ...

, and for a Government Department in Whitehall. He has worked around the world, in public relations for Bouchard Aine et Fils, a Burgundy wine producer, in the motor industry in California, and as a broadcaster in Los Angeles. He also has a postgraduate diploma in broadcasting from

Santa Monica College Santa Monica College (SMC) is a Public university, public, community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a Junior college#United States, junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. Althoug ...

. Returning to the UK, King became Campaigns Co-Coordinator for the British Road Federation and then joined the RAC Limited, becoming the first director of the RAC Foundation in 1999. In 2008, he became President of

. He is a member of the transport sector panel of The

Institution of Engineering and Technology The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is a multidisciplinary professional engineering institution. The IET was formed in 2006 from two separate institutions: the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), dating back to 1871, and ...

. He is also a fellow of the

Chartered Institute of Public Relations The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is a professional body in the United Kingdom for public relations practitioners. Founded as the Institute for Public Relations in 1948, CIPR was awarded Chartered status by the Privy Council o ...

, fellow of the

Public Relations Consultants Association The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) is a trade association for the public relations sector in the United Kingdom. The association lobbies on behalf of its member companies and also provides a forum for sharing information. ...

and a committee member of the Motor Industry Public Affairs Association. Although well known as a champion of motorists, King is also a keen cyclist, and in 2012 made headlines by condemning cyclist-hating drivers as "absolute idiots". He was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2016 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2016 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to road safety. King lives in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

. His interests include antiques, wine tasting and Norwich City Football Club.

References

Alumni of Newcastle University Officers of the Order of the British Empire Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{UK-business-bio-stub