Alan West

Admiral Lord West has unrivalled experience and knowledge in the areas of security, intelligence and defence. He is an expert at risk management and prediction. He has vast experience of working with senior international figures and top people across Governments. He was First Sea Lord (most senior position in the UK Navy) from 2002 to 2006. He spent the majority of his naval career at sea, serving in fourteen different ships and commanding three of them.

In 1980 as Alan West he took command of the frigate HMS ARDENT taking her south to the Falkland Islands in 1982 where she was sunk in the successful recapture of the islands. He was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for his part in the action and led the Victory Parade through the City of London.

Alan has held several appointments in the Ministry of Defence in the Plans, Programmes and Policy areas plus spent three years as head of Naval Intelligence and three years as Chief of Defence Intelligence covering the Kosovo War. He was the first joint force commander on the formation of the Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) and conducted the proving exercises of that new headquarters. He was promoted to Admiral in 2000 when he became Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Nato Commander-in-Chief East Atlantic and Nato Commander Allied Naval Forces North. He led the United Kingdom's maritime response to 9/11 including the invasion of Afghanistan.

Alan was First Sea Lord from 2002 to 2006. He inspired and organised the Trafalgar Bicentennial Year and led the UK Navy during its crucial and successful role in the initial invasion of Iraq.

In 2006 he became Chairman of the QinetiQ Defence Advisory Board, Chancellor of Southampton Solent University, Naval Trustee of the Imperial War Museum, Chairman of the Cadet Vocational Qualification Organisation and held several other significant positions.

From 2007 to 2010 Alan joined the Government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown with responsibility for national security and counter-terrorism as well as cyber and Olympic security. During this period, Alan produced the UK's first ever National Security Strategy, and formulated a series of other groundbreaking strategies: the counter-terrorist policy (Contest 2); cyber security; CBRN (Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear; science and technology for countering international terrorism; guidance for local government in enhancing the security of crowded places. He was Chairman of The National Security Forum.