Hawksley was educated at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate in Kent, after which he joined the Merchant Navy to work his passage to Australia.

He was expelled from Sri Lanka, opened the BBC's television bureau in China, arrested in Serbia and initiated a global campaign against enslaved children in the chocolate industry.

His television documentaries include The Curse of Gold and Bitter Sweet, examining human rights abuse in global trade; Aid Under Scrutiny, on the failures of international development; Old Man Atom, that investigates the global nuclear industry; and Danger: Democracy at Work on the risks of bringing Western-style democracy too quickly to some societies.

He is a regular speaker and panelist at Intelligence Squared and the Royal Geographical Society, and he has presented his work and moderated at many literary festivals.

[3] Hawksley is the author of political novels aimed at raising key strategic issues in the far east before a broader audience.