General Sir Richard Shirreff KCB CBE

Former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe at NATO

Speaker

Sir Richard Shirreff was born in Kenya in 1955 where he spent his early years. Educated in England, he graduated from Exeter College, Oxford (Modern History) before being commissioned from Sandhurst into the British Army. His service has taken him around the world and he has commanded on operations at every level from platoon (30 men) to division (20,000 men and women). This has included combat in the Gulf War of 1991 as a tank squadron leader and again in Iraq as a divisional commander, together with other operations in Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Bosnia. He has also completed a lot of less exciting but nevertheless challenging and interesting posts in various Army HQs and Whitehall.

As NATO's 4 Star Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe he operated at the strategic level engaging closely with allied, coalition and other governments (particularly in Afghanistan), the European Union, non-Governmental and International organisations to plan and execute campaigns, generate the force levels required and build the necessary bridges, intellectually, culturally and practically, in order to support NATO campaigns and operations, together with the Alliance's wider transformation. He has extensive experience of building unity of effort with different nations, governments, the humanitarian community and a wide variety of other stakeholders in order to resolve complex problems. He has a first hand understanding of the challenges of decision making under extreme political and media pressure, and a proven record of leading dynamic change management in establishing radical new structures to achieve integrated planning and execution with key stakeholders. He knows what it is to put career, reputation and life on the line and to make the right decisions.

After a lifetime leading soldiers in peace, on operations and in combat, Sir Richard Shirreff is a passionate exponent of the importance of values-based leadership at every level and in every sector. His views and experience of strategy are equally relevant and applicable to business. He is a charismatic and proven speaker on leadership from the front and beyond, while his talks on strategy at the London Business School have resonated with both students and corporates alike.