Richard has been the chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry since February 2020.

He has led five multi-million pound organisations as chief executive over a total of 18 years.  They include an internationally famous charity, a UK government foreign affairs agency, a private company, and three of them were large membership bodies.

He has been on the Board and a non-executive chair/director of five corporations  including companies, charities, two government agencies, and a research-intensive university.

Richard has worked in over 55 countries, specialising in Africa, the wider Commonwealth, and post-conflict situations and locations.

He was Chief Executive, Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council from 2017 to 2019.  For the previous 8 years, he was Chief Executive of Wilton Park (a Foreign and Commonwealth Office agency for conciliation and dialogue on conflict and crises).  He was a Commissioner for Commonwealth Scholarships, and on the Council of Durham University.  He is currently a Governor of the National Institute of Social and Economic Research.

He has been CEO of the Countryside Alliance, Director General of the Zoological Society of London, and for ten years served with the British Council in Africa and the Middle East.

He graduated from Durham University (Hatfield College) in1980 and was a Commonwealth Research Scholar at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (1983-1986).  He was born in Hong Kong.