Phil is an Associate Partner based in Abu Dhabi.  He possesses nearly 20 years of experience in public policy and international relations, mostly serving either as a government official or advising governments.  He has advised governments in Europe, Asia and the Middle East on centre-of-government reform, strategic planning, strategic communications, public sector management and public expenditure reviews. 

He brings a distinctive perspective based on extensive hands-on government experience, having worked in influential roles at the heart of key government ministries, including the United Kingdom’s Treasury, Cabinet Office and Department of Energy and Climate Change, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates.  In these capacities he has dealt with issues ranging from foreign aid, conflict, climate change and development, to spending reviews, social exclusion and strategic communications. He also brings insights from having worked at the intersection of international relations and development, including participating in negotiations on development in the G20 and on climate change in the UNFCCC’s COP.

Phil has expertise in higher education, having served for several years in the leadership of a diplomatic academy. He holds a Master of Science degree in Anthropology and Development from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern European Studies from University College London. He also pursued postgraduate studies in governance, foreign policy and human rights, as a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University.