Richard Shirreff

General Sir Richard Shirreff is a retired British Army officer who served as NATO’s Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe and is now a co-founder and managing partner of Strategia Worldwide, a global risk advisory company. After commanding a tank squadron during active duty in the Gulf War in 1991, Richard Shirreff went on to a distinguished military career marked by significant leadership and strategic achievements. Commissioned into the 14th/20th King’s Hussars as a second lieutenant in 1976, he demonstrated early leadership by becoming Commanding Officer of the King’s Royal Hussars in 1994. Shirreff served in Northern Ireland in 1995, where his valuable service earned him a Queen’s Commendation.

In 1998, he was advanced to Brigadier and commanded the 7th Armoured Brigade, deploying them to Kosovo, before being recognized with the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2001. Shirreff’s career progressed rapidly, achieving the rank of Major General in 2003. In 2005, he was appointed General Officer Commanding the 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division, which subsequently deployed as HQ Multinational Division South East in Iraq in July 2006. His leadership continued to be recognized with his appointment as Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in 2007, the same year he was promoted to Lieutenant General.

Currently, Shirreff serves as Executive Vice Chairman of Sigma7, following its acquisition of Strategia Worldwide, where he continues to apply his expertise in strategy, leadership, and geopolitical analysis. He is also an active Advisory Board member for Genderforce, a non-profit organization dedicated to combating sexual and gender-based violence in conflict zones, reinforcing his commitment to global security and human rights.