What’s your current role, and what do you do to help clients?
I help businesses build export control and trade compliance programmes that work in practice, not just on paper. I start by getting to know the whole business, how it makes decisions, and where its products, people and customers sit. Then I design or review the compliance programme so that it fits in and runs smoothly day to day.
What’s your background in international trade / compliance / policy and what areas of expertise or focus do you bring?
I have more than 25 years’ experience in international trade and export control. My areas of expertise include:
- Export control and international trade
- Financial, sectoral and comprehensive sanctions
- Anti-bribery and corruption
- Automating compliance in systems such as SAP
- Sensitive countries and end users
- Security-classified technologies
I take an active part in the wider trade compliance community. I serve on the Aerospace Defence & Space (ADS) Export Group and the ADS Business Ethics Network Steering Committee, and I am a member of techUK’s Trade and Customs Compliance Group. I am also a member of the Chartered Institute Of Export & International Trade. These roles keep me close to the latest policy changes and to what other businesses are facing, and I bring that insight to my clients.
What kind of businesses / sectors have you worked with to date?
I began my career in defence and aerospace at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (part of the MoD, later QinetiQ), managing overseas trials of military aircraft, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, radar and electronic warfare. I have since worked at General Dynamics (land vehicles, aircraft and communications), Safran (military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and torpedoes), Inmarsat (defence and commercial satellite communications, aircraft, vessels, launch vehicles and spacecraft) and Deloitte (military and commercial technologies, nuclear and aerospace).
What do clients typically rely on you for?
Clients rely on me to solve problems, automate processes, build compliance teams, write clear policies and procedures, and make compliance part of how the whole business works.
What motivates you in your work? / What do you particularly enjoy about your work?
I’m passionate about what I do. I find my work meaningful, and it has never been more relevant than in today’s political climate.
Do you speak any languages or bring regional / cultural insights?
I am proud to be Welsh.
Say something about yourself beyond work.
Outside work, I lean into my artistic side. I’m an avid reader and love live music, from classical and jazz to swing and rock. I enjoy art and theatre, I love to paint in oils and drawl, and I am a keen gardener. My greatest passion is racing a yacht with my crew around the Bristol Channel.
