Meet the clearBorder Team

clearBorder brings together policy-makers, industry operators, and cross-border trade experts to help you navigate complexity and move forward with confidence.

United by purpose and practical trade insight

We’re a team of senior consultants, advisors, and operators with deep, real-world experience in global trade, government, and industry. From customs compliance and SPS regulation to digital border transformation and export controls, we help clients reduce friction, manage risk, and grow with confidence.

With a footprint spanning the UK, EU, US and beyond, we operate at the leading edge of cross-border trade – and we bring that insight into every relationship.

Our Team

Christopher Salmon

Christopher Salmon

Chief Executive

Christopher Salmon is clearBorder’s Chief Executive and strategic lead. He works closely with clients to optimise cross-border supply chains, shaping consultancy offerings, overseeing delivery quality, and ensuring clients receive insightful, actionable guidance. Christopher is also instrumental in promoting clearBorder’s wider value across industry and government. With a background spanning business, politics, and defence, Christopher served as Senior Adviser to UK Cabinet Ministers during the country’s EU exit – helping to shape policy and operations around customs, SPS, export controls, and Northern Ireland trade. He has since led major border innovation programmes including the Ecosystem of Trust and the UK’s Single Trade Window. He’s advised clients across food and drink, defence, manufacturing, retail, infrastructure, and beyond.
Khyati Amin

Khyati Amin

Director: Strategic Consultancy

Khyati works directly with clients to streamline complex, cross-border supply chains – making sure goods move smoothly, compliantly, and cost-effectively. With a background in strategy consulting and hands-on experience at clearBorder, she brings deep expertise in SPS controls, retail goods, supply chain design, and more. She’s advised clients across nearly every sector – from global retailers to food manufacturers entering the UK market – and regularly collaborates with UK government programmes on trader behaviour and border policy. Fluent in Hindi and fuelled by variety, Khyati brings cultural fluency and a love of practical problem-solving to every project. In her own words – “life’s too short to be bored.”
Sarah Rice

Sarah Rice

Director

Sarah leads clearBorder’s export control consultancy, bringing 25+ years of experience across customs and export control compliance. A trusted advisor on dual-use goods, ITAR, sanctions, and governance frameworks, she helps clients smoothly navigate the world’s most complex export corridors. Known for turning regulatory complexity into commercial opportunity, Sarah works across sectors including defence, photonics, quantum, space, and more. She’s advised governments on national security, shaped UK–US compliance programmes, and built cross-border trade frameworks in the Middle East and North America. Outside work, she’s a keen gardener (when the sun is shining!), and when it’s cold, you’ll find her gaming on the PC – usually in Azeroth.
Dorian Rosca

Dorian Rosca

Customs Manager

Dorian Rosca is a seasoned customs specialist with nearly a decade of experience in freight forwarding and trade compliance. At clearBorder, he helps clients minimise risk and delays by applying licensing regimes, special procedures, and accurate tariff classifications. His sector expertise spans dual-use goods, organic imports, and regulated manufacturing. Fluent in Romanian and conversational in Spanish, Dorian brings a culturally aware approach to international trade. He’s known for his curiosity, rigour, and love of problem-solving. Away from the desk, he’s a history buff, football player, film fan, and music lover – with a playlist that runs from Strauss to Metallica.
Ian Hunt

Ian Hunt

Trade Control Consultant

Ian is a specialist in export controls, with deep expertise in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). At clearBorder, he helps clients across defence and aerospace navigate complex licensing frameworks, build internal governance, and export with confidence. With over 12 years in international trade, including senior roles at BAE Systems and programme security leadership in Saudi Arabia, Ian brings real-world experience from both government and industry. He’s worked extensively across the UK, EU and EMEA – and once found himself in a cycle race with Sir Bradley Wiggins. (He didn’t win).
Anna Perkins

Anna Perkins

Chief Marketing Officer

As Chief Marketing Officer at clearBorder, Anna leads our communications, strategy and positioning – ensuring our insights reach the people who need them. With over 25 years of experience across global brands like Samsung, HP and Vodafone, as well as boutique consultancies, she brings a wealth of cross-sector marketing expertise. Anna is driven by curiosity and collaboration: relishing the opportunity to learn new sectors and shape how an organisation communicates. An avid reader – of fact and fiction – she always has a book (or several) on the go, and never leaves home without one!
Ugne Dapkeviciene

Ugne Dapkeviciene

Business Support Manager

Ugne is the organisational heartbeat of clearBorder. With a background in hospitality, serviced offices and tech, she ensures projects run smoothly and operations stay on track. From logistics to internal systems, she supports our consultants so they can focus on delivering real value for clients. Calm, reliable and solutions-focused, Ugne is the go-to person for making things work – quietly improving efficiency and enhancing the client experience behind the scenes. Originally from Lithuania, she also speaks Russian and Spanish. Outside work, she’s a keen volleyball player who brings the same energy and coordination to every part of her role.
Mary Calam

Mary Calam

Chairwoman

Mary is clearBorder’s chairwoman, responsible for providing a sounding board for the CEO and internal team and assuring corporate governance. Mary has extensive expertise in risk, governance and strategy, having worked at senior levels across the public and private sectors. Her government career spanned law enforcement, counter terrorism and national security, latterly as Director General for Crime, Policing and Fire in the Home Office. On leaving government, Mary joined McKinsey & Company, serving government and private sector clients around the world. She now holds a number of non executive director and trustee roles in public and private sector organisations and works as an independent consultant.

Advisory Board

Mary Calam

Mary Calam

Chairwoman

Mary is clearBorder’s chairwoman, responsible for providing a sounding board for the CEO and internal team and assuring corporate governance. Mary has extensive expertise in risk, governance and strategy, having worked at senior levels across the public and private sectors. Her government career spanned law enforcement, counter terrorism and national security, latterly as Director General for Crime, Policing and Fire in the Home Office. On leaving government, Mary joined McKinsey & Company, serving government and private sector clients around the world. She now holds a number of non executive director and trustee roles in public and private sector organisations and works as an independent consultant.
Charles Hogg

Charles Hogg

Trade and freight advisor

Charles is Commercial Director at Unsworth, one of the UK’s leading independent freight forwarding businesses. He brings unrivalled insight into the challenges facing international trade borders and the market that serves them. Charles is also National Chair of the British International Freight Association (BIFA) for two years following his appointment in May 2023. Charles has extensive connections across the UK and international freight industry and has supported European and British traders of all sizes in adapting to new trade regulations.
Kevin Franklin

Kevin Franklin

Customs systems and transformation

Kevin provides expert insight into government approaches to customs and borders, in particular IT modernisation and revenue operations. Kevin brings over 40 years experience with HM Revenue and Customs, the UK customs agency. He started as a frontline officer in London Port and rose to become Director, Customs Transformation leading the development of the UK’s Customs Declaration Services (CDS) – a system responsible for collecting £34bn of revenue each year. Kevin has worked with the UK Home Office and US Customs Service to modernise international trade procedures and worked as Head of Intelligence at UK Border Force. Kevin retired from the Civil Service in 2020 and holds a number positions supporting customs modernisation.

We're always open to new conversations with senior operators and policy specialists.

If you’re an expert in customs, SPS, trade policy or regulatory transformation – and want to work with a consultancy that values independence, clarity, and commercial impact – get in touch.

Reach out today

Insights & strategic thinking

Defence

FDI screening and the future of defence investment

Foreign investment is no longer judged on commercial value alone. As governments strengthen scrutiny of strategic industries, boardrooms must consider how investors, ownership structures, and sources of capital will be viewed through the lens of national security. Understanding geopolitical exposure alongside commercial opportunity is becoming a core part of good governance.
FDI screening and the future of defence investment
Defence

How subcontractors became strategic assets

Strategic capability now extends far beyond prime contractors. As governments focus on resilience and sovereign capability, boardrooms need a clear understanding of the suppliers, technologies, and partnerships that underpin critical defence capability and where strategic dependencies exist.
How subcontractors became strategic assets
Defence

Technology transfers in a controlled world

As defence capability becomes increasingly digital, technology transfers now extend beyond physical goods to include software, engineering data, AI, and technical knowledge. This article explores why governing access to sensitive information is becoming just as important as controlling the movement of products in modern export compliance.
Technology transfers in a controlled world
Secret Link