The Team

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 Biochemisty, 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.

Paul has extensive experience in the defence and security sectors both from the practitioner’s perspective and at the highest strategic level including policy-making within government and the private sector.

Paul Gibson feels passionately about the vital work being undertaken by SCEG in partnership with Her Majesty’s Government to develop and implement regulation for the UK Private Security Sector. He is a counter terrorism, threat evaluation and risk mitigation expert, with a specialist interest in counter piracy.

His military career culminated as Director Counter Terrorism and UK operations, where he was responsible for global threat evaluation and UK contingency operations and crisis management. He enjoyed a distinguished military career, where he was known as an ambitious pragmatist with risk mitigation as a trademark. He commanded 4th Armoured Brigade (the Black Rats) in southern Iraq and 1PARA on 3 high profile operations including Kosovo and Sierra Leone. He was awarded the DSO and QCVS whilst in command of 1PARA, and an MBE for his work on counter terrorism.

His advice is valued at the highest levels and he has been a frequent participant at the government’s emergency response committee COBRA, where he advised the Prime Minister and a range of other government ministers. He is a respected defence commentator for The Times and a regular contributor to the BBC. As a defence and security consultant Paul Gibson is highly focused on helping companies to save money for example by increasing understanding about the threats to their operations and implementing risk mitigation measures to bring down costs and insurance premiums by lowering risk through practical counter measures.

Brinley joined the Defence Manufacturers Association (DMA), initially on a temporary basis, in July 1985, having graduated from  Sheffield University with a BA in Ancient History & Classical Civilisation. He worked for the DMA in a number of roles, before being appointed to the position of Exports Director in June 1999. In October 2009, following the creation of ADS through the merger of the DMA, APPSS and SBAC, he became the new organisation’s Director, Overseas & Exports.

The vast majority of his work constitutes providing offset, industrial participation and export controls-related help, advice and assistance to British companies. In this capacity he acts as Secretary to the Export Group for Aerospace, Defence & Dual Use (EGADD), and the United Kingdom Offset Operations Group (UKOOG) special interest groups.

As Secretary to EGADD, he provides help and advice to companies on export control matters and liaises closely with the Export Control Organisation (ECO), Ministry of Defence (UK), Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), Department For International Development (DFID) and Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), as well as with other industry bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). He sits on a number of export control related groups, including the joint Government-Industry Export Control Advisory Committee (ECAC) and is the Secretary of  a Section 5 prohibited firearms special interest group, and the United Kingdom Offset Strategy Group (UKOSG). He is also a Member of the London Countertrade Roundtable (LCR)

Charlotte has worked within the Insurance Industry in various sectors for over 16 years. Before joining SCEG she worked as an Administration and Marketing Executive for Insurance Valuations worldwide for 10 years, focusing on Critical National Infrastructure. Charlotte enjoyed working with clients for whom risk management and security is crucial.

Charlotte’s previous role was hugely varied, and she has a great deal of experience facilitating events and conferences. Charlotte ran her employers stand at a yearly exhibition for Insurance and Risk Management, she thrived in this environment as meeting new people and facing new challenges are key interests for her.

Charlotte’s top priority is supporting the Director and Members.