How does an Englishman with a Masters degree in Roman Archaeology come to start his own consultancy, passionately implementing disaster risk reduction and resilience strategies and working with a plethora of communities and stakeholders? Improbably, it’s a story that involves a global financial crisis, a detour through the British Army and a move to Australia.

Having graduated university with the aforementioned Archaeology degree, I began my career at the British Museum – a dream role. However, after government funding for the role was cut, I pivoted to another long-held dream and applied to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for Officer Training in 2011. I was driven by a desire to challenge myself and be part of a global organisation working to reduce conflict. Three weeks before I was due to start at Sandhurst, I met an Australian woman living in London, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Five years of service in the British Army followed, working in some of the most challenging environments and with the most talented professionals anywhere in the world.

During those years of service and professional development, I became keenly interested in the potential for climate change to drive future global instability and conflict. When my wife and I decided to move back to her hometown of Brisbane, I resolved that my post military career would involve harnessing the skills and knowledge I had gained in the military to serve the community further in the public safety industry.

January 2017 saw me join Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) in Emergency Management (EM) Readiness. Unlike traditional EM roles, this team was focused on the need for communities and governments to shift to a prevention mindset, rather than focusing on the constant cycle of responding to and recovering from natural disasters, the frequency and intensity of which are increasing due to climate change.

The past eight years has been transformative for me professionally, especially through involvement in the response to many of the worst disasters in our nation’s history.

As the leader of a team of dedicated professionals within QFES, I was fortunate to travel to and work directly with most councils in Queensland, State Governments across Australia, and the Commonwealth on disaster preparedness and resilience programs. I recognised early on that working with a broad coalition of likeminded entities is the only way to solve the challenges of climate and disaster risk and I have been instrumental in developing relationships and partnerships with stakeholders both within and outside of government, across the Region and internationally.

I joined the Minderoo Foundation in September 2022 to lead the Resilient Communities Mission and take my experience and passion to a new level with greater reach. There I have facilitated direct funding support to multiple not-for-profit entities delivering disaster resilience, relief, and capacity building programs to some of the most vulnerable communities cross Australia.

This exciting professional career is now also a personal passion, with sustainability and resilience forming a critical part of our recent home renovations. I am excited to grasp new opportunities and partnerships through Resilient Horizons.