Born in 1958, Charles Grant studied modern history at Cambridge University. He then took a diploma in French politics at Grenoble University. Returning to London, Charles joined Euromoney, the financial magazine.

He moved to The Economist in 1986, where he wrote about the City. In 1987 he exposed the County NatWest-Blue Arrow scandal, which led to two Department of Trade and Industry inquiries and a long criminal trial. In 1988, together with David Goodhart, he wrote Making the City work, a Fabian booklet which proposed a reform programme for Britain's financial markets.

In 1989 he moved to Brussels for the Economist. His biography of Jacques Delors ("Delors: Inside the House that Jacques Built", published by Nicholas Brealey) appeared in 1994 and was subsequently translated into French, Japanese and Russian. He returned to London to write about British affairs for the Economist. In October 1994 Grant became defence editor of The Economist, covering armaments industries, defence policy, military matters and the war in former Yugoslavia.

In 1996 he helped to set up the Centre for European Reform, an independent think-tank dedicated to promoting a reform agenda within the European Union. He became the first director of the Centre in January 1998.

He became a trustee of the British Council in July 2002. He is also a member of the Committee for Russia in a United Europe (chaired by Duma member Vladimir Ryzhkov) and a board member of the Moscow School of Political Studies. In February 2004 he was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite.

Charles' main areas of expertise are Russia, European foreign and defence policy, Transatlantic relations, the Future of Europe debate and Chinese foreign policy. Hobbies include hill-walking and music.