Sir Laurie served as Ambassador to Afghanistan from June to November 2021, during the fall of Kabul and the evacuation of over 15,000 British and Afghan nationals from Kabul airport.  

Ambassador to Russia (2016-20). Laurie also served as the COP26 Regional Ambassador to the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia and has held many posts at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 1990, including Director for National Security (2012-2015), Ambassador to Azerbaijan, FCO Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission in Moscow, and at the NATO Defense College, Rome.

In 2015 Laurie was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) for services to British foreign policy interests and national security and promoted to Knight Commander (KCMG) in 2019.  In 2022, he became President of Hughes Hall, Cambridge.

His memoir, ‘Kabul: Final Call: The True Story of the Withdrawal from Afghanistan’ was published in 2024. ‘A brutally frank account, beautifully told” – Lyse Doucet.