Hamish brings a distinguished 36-year career from the Royal Air Force (RAF) to his role as Head of the Cabinet Office’s Emergency Planning College at Serco.
Working closely with his Cabinet Office colleagues and wider stakeholders, Hamish is leading the evolution of the College towards an enhanced UK Resilience Academy.
Following extensive exposure to the challenges and rewards of operating in multi-agency operations both domestic and overseas, Hamish experienced the UK resilience community first-hand during the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, during his tenure as the Senior Military Liaison Officer to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Combined with experience in multi-agency environments and educational settings, his creative approach and balance of an innate pragmatism borne of his operational background, Hamish’s unique blend of experience converges well to position him to lead the EPC.
His approach is characterised by a strategic focus on integration and collaboration to enhance outcomes, underscored by a pragmatic yet creative methodology honed through years of diverse operational challenges. In essence Hamish is passionate about “joining the dots” to ensure the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Key to his approach, is building trust in relationships to enable better outcomes.
During his time in the RAF, Hamish was fortunate to fly helicopters in many challenging environments – from the arctic, to deserts and jungles. His operational experience spans Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria, in addition to contributing to disaster relief efforts in Pakistan.
Throughout his military career, Hamish held notable positions such as UK Special Forces Air Commander, Station Commander and Puma Force Commander at RAF Benson, and Deputy Air Component Commander in the Middle East. In recognition of his service, he was awarded a CBE in 2019.
Prior to transitioning into a civilian role at EPC, Hamish held the position of Chief Operating Officer for the UK Defence Academy.
When not on duty, Hamish is a devoted father Hamish is the father of twins. His interests include travel, photography, wildlife and art (and on occasion, the combination of all four!).
Qualifications:
Global Strategic Programme, Royal College of Defence Studies