Edward Smith is a Partner and leads Control Risks’ Crisis and Security Consulting practice in the Middle East. Ed has managed operations, led large-scale and complex project planning, directed critical investigations, consulted and trained governments on resilience enhancement and has advised financial institutions and critical infrastructure owners and operators across the world to build secure, compliant and resilient organisations. His experience in supporting organisations to tackle some of their most critical issues and in helping them to identify and seize opportunities has led to him becoming a trusted advisor to many of our key clients.

Examples of recent work include:

• Project Director for the provision of reactive support for several fraud investigations for an international airport operator.
• Project Director for security training for a nuclear power operator, covering physical security, cyber security, security management and leadership and a security culture and behavioural review.
• Project Director for a security risk assessment of a national pipeline operator’s existing physical and cyber infrastructure, including mitigation planning and development of an implementation roadmap.
• Lead consultant for a team developing the operational crisis response plans for a Gulf nation’s health ministry which in turn required the design, development and delivery of tactical level crisis response training for healthcare workers at over 200 hospitals and medical centres in order to enhance duty of care to the nation’s citizens.

Previously Ed managed our office in Abu Dhabi where he led with supporting our clients based in the UAE capital and enhancing the success of our business in the region. Prior to this he was a London based consultant leading with planning and support for clients based in the world’s most hostile locations, including Iraq and Afghanistan. He also led with our support to clients during the London 2012 Olympics.

Ed was educated in risk management and leadership at Sandhurst, the UK Royal Military Academy and prior to that completed a Master’s Degree in Applied Economics at the University of St Andrews where he also studied International Relations, Management and Philosophy.