Speakers

As Control Risks’ Director Government and Defence, Richard oversees risk and security support to governments, international organisations and NGOs around the world. This is a major element of Control Risks’ operations, and as a part of this Richard works with UK and Western governments, multilateral departments and leading international industry and commercial organisations close to government.

Richard served for 28 years in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he held senior bilateral and security policy positions, with his final overseas posting being in Berlin (2011) where he was Counsellor Political. Earlier in his service, Richard first posting was as UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Asian Commission (ESCAP) in Bangkok and Phnom Penh Embassies, and followed this with postings to Rome as First Secretary and Kabul as Counsellor.

Between postings abroad, Richard was responsible for policy and capability development in parts of Africa, South America and the Middle East. Richard originally took an Honours degree in biochemistry, and subsequently studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and the Universities of Chiang Mai and Thammasat in Bangkok. He is a Visiting Fellow at Exeter University’s Institute for Strategy and Security. He speaks German, and residual Italian and Thai.