Work with Al.
I chair and MC professional events, and teach and mentor people seeking to understand or act on questions of geopolitics, international security, leadership and institutional change.
Every engagement begins with the audience: what they need to understand, decide or apply. The work is prepared seriously, shaped around the room and designed to make complexity useful without making me its centre.
01 · Chairing & MC’ing
Making the room work.
Bringing out the expertise of others begins with understanding what each voice can contribute, preparing beyond the brief and creating enough structure for genuine ideas to emerge. Whether chairing or MC’ing, that means orienting the audience, connecting each discussion to the wider programme and keeping attention on the people, ideas and differences at the centre of the conversation.
I have done this across panels, roundtables, track dialogues, executive conversations and multi-session conferences for government, industry, universities and professional audiences. Subjects have ranged from defence, geopolitics and national resilience to energy, infrastructure, technology and major-project delivery.
Preparation is critical. Before any event, I work with organisers and speakers to identify the questions worth asking, the points on which perspectives genuinely differ and the context an audience may need. On the day, that makes it possible to listen closely, follow the discussion rather than a script and keep the room moving without making myself its centre.
02 · Teaching & Mentoring
Passing on experience and developing talent.
Teaching, advising and mentoring have run throughout my career, from turning civilians into soldiers at the UK’s School of Infantry to university guest lectures, seminars and career advice. I work best with people who want to do something with the material: test an argument, make a decision or apply an idea within an institution.
I have worked with students and professional audiences connected with Oxford, Cambridge, King’s College London and the University of London, as well as people across government, defence, humanitarian affairs and education. Subjects include international security, defence and public policy, the Indo-Pacific, China, diplomatic history, institutional decision-making, leadership and the relationship between strategy and execution. Engagements can take the form of lectures, seminars, workshops or smaller discussions, depending on what people need to understand or apply.
My mentoring is particularly for people pursuing personal or professional goals in geopolitics, international security and the institutions through which international affairs are conducted. I help them understand how those systems work, clarify where they want to contribute and develop the judgement, communication and influence needed to operate within them. The purpose is not to prescribe a route, but to help them make better choices about their own.
Contact
Get in touch about working together.
For chairing and MC’ing, teaching and mentoring, or a related engagement where my experience may be useful.