Alex is an experienced operations manager, project manager, development, security and risk management consultant with over 35 years’ experience. He completed a successful 24-year military career in 2012, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Marines. Since then, he has gained commercial and international development experience working in various risk, crisis, project and operations management, and leadership positions.
Pragmatic, professionally driven and highly versatile. A committed internationalist, he actively enjoys the challenge of operating across cultural divides. He has the requisite patience, resilience, and tenacity to succeed in culturally and politically sensitive environments. Being utterly flexible and getting things done (usually with considerable good humour), in challenging environments with diverse groups, is Alex's main distinguishing characteristic.
Alex has extensive Africa and Middle East experience, most recently setting up and running a UK government sponsored project, while on secondment to UN Office for Projects and Services (UNOPS) in Djibouti. For 15 months he worked alongside international UN staff and delegations from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), delivering the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) for Yemen. This involved the delivery of assurance (through rigorous inspections and vessel searches) that commercial shipping entering Yemen’s Red Sea ports were not in violation of international embargoes.
Alex has two Masters’ degrees: Defence Studies from King’s College London and Applied Leadership from Leeds Trinity University, which he gained while working full-time for 2 years as a Prison Officer. Alex is a passionate about Criminal Justice Reform and in particular helping veterans who have ended up in prison - he actively supports the Armed Forces charity; The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) as a prison-in reach volunteer.
Alex is an enthusiastic Telemark skier in winter and a SCUBA diver in summer, and he enjoys the company of Bedlington Terriers year round!
