GPW is an international business intelligence firm serving multinationals, law firms, financial institutions, investors and sovereign and governmental organisations.
We deliver intelligence and analysis to help underpin senior level decision making and problem solving. Our aim is to be the firm of choice when the outcome really matters.
With offices in the United Kingdom (London) and the Middle East (Dubai), we operate globally, investing significant time on the ground building and maintaining our local networks and relationships. Geography is never a limiting factor in our work.
All GPW assignments are directly overseen by a GPW partner at all times. Our international capability is supported by a well-established network of resources, for whose integrity we vouch and with whom we have long and established relationships. Many are dispersed around the globe, enabling us to provide a timely international response in even the remotest of places. Others are known and trusted independent contacts.
Our professional team draws on a wide range of experience in the law, financial services, commerce, diplomacy, government intelligence and other services, public relations, academia and computer forensics. Most are graduates with strong foreign language proficiency.
We are a private limited company wholly owned by the partners and chaired by a former senior member of the British Diplomatic Service.
Chairman
- Andrew Fulton
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Andrew Fulton spent over thirty years in the British Diplomatic Service, his last appointment being in Washington DC, following stints in Saigon, Rome, Oslo, East Berlin and at the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York. Amongst other business roles he is senior adviser to Memex Technology and a non-Executive Director with IndigoVision. Andrew is also Chairman of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party and Honorary President (formerly Chairman) of the Scottish North American Business Council.
Partners & Senior Associates
- Richard Blaksley Partner & Chief Executive
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Richard Blaksley has over twenty years’ experience in this sector, specialising in complex cross-border investigations. During this period he was Head of Europe, and later Asia, of a leading global risk management consultancy. He spent his early career in the British Army, before working in the City in the fixed-income security markets and then for defence manufacturer Alvis in Africa and other emerging markets.
- Nicholas Bortman Partner, Head of Middle East
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Nicholas Bortman heads GPW’s Middle East practice from Dubai, managing complex investigations and due diligence cases across the region. He has a BA from New York University and an MA in International Relations from the London School of Economics. Before joining GPW, Nicholas worked in the specialist investigative practice of a former senior trial prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
- Patrick Grayson Senior Partner
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Patrick Grayson has over twenty five years’ experience in this sector. His former career spans the British Army, brand management in a major international company and as a founding partner of a now-leading security group. He entered the sector as Managing Director of the first overseas office of a then rapidly expanding US risk management consultancy; he is credited with having played a pivotal role in establishing business intelligence and corporate investigations as a recognised and respected profession amongst the business and financial community at large. He co-founded GPW in 2004.
- Daniel Hall Partner
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Daniel Hall graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Law. He is a qualified solicitor, who practised in London and Hong Kong, specialising in fraud and financial crime investigations, before moving into business intelligence and corporate investigations. Daniel has broad experience across a range of jurisdictions and sectors. He regularly provides investigative support to law firms and their clients engaged in complex international litigation, including asset tracing.
- Peter Pender-Cudlip Partner
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Peter Pender-Cudlip graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Law. Following qualification as a solicitor with Norton Rose, he spent four years in investment banking at Schroders and a further four years in financial public relations. From there he held a senior position in a global risk management consultancy before co-founding GPW in 2004.
- Michael Redman Partner
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Michael Redman obtained a BA in Russian Studies from University College London before going on to postgraduate study at Cambridge. He later converted to Law. With particular expertise in Russia and the CIS, Michael was formerly based in Moscow where he ran the Russia office of a leading global risk management consultancy. He previously advised underwriters in the Lloyd’s of London insurance market and worked in West Africa in the diamond industry. He is fluent in Russian.
- Samantha Walker Consulting Partner
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Sam Walker has spent twenty years at the cutting edge of complex global investigations and now specialises in detailed due diligence in emerging and frontier markets. She was formerly Managing Director of a leading global risk management consultancy’s business intelligence practice in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
- Andrew Wordsworth Partner in Charge - Dispute Consulting
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Andrew Wordsworth spent his early career in fund management at the Man Group and later qualified at the New York Bar. He has a wealth of experience in coordinating large scale international investigations and litigation support, with a particular focus on energy, natural resources and telecoms. He has particular expertise in Russia and the CIS where he has supported both domestic and overseas clients in their dealings with local governments and other power bases.
- Philip Worman Partner, Head of Political Risk
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Philip Worman has over fifteen years’ experience in the political risk and business intelligence sector. Most recently he was founding director of Eurasia Group’s London office and subsequently managed its UK and European corporate advisory work. He has advised numerous blue-chip companies on their exposure to political, regulatory and operational risks in complex and opaque markets across the EMEA region. He is a fluent Russian speaker.
- Clive Newell Associate Partner, Chief Operating Officer
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Clive Newell joined GPW after a full career in the British Diplomatic Service, having served as a political officer in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan dealing with international security and intelligence issues. During his service he also focused on political risk in India and Pakistan. Clive is a graduate in Modern Languages from Cambridge University and speaks French, Russian, Persian (Farsi) and Turkish.
- Peter Surrey Associate Partner, Head of Digital Forensics
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Peter Surrey’s twenty year career in digital forensics and IT security has included work with the US Antarctic Program and security projects at top-tier investment banks. He is a professional member of the BCS, a member of the Society for Computers & Law, an EnCase Certified Examiner and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. He holds postgraduate degrees from Queen Mary College and SOAS and is qualifying for an MSc in Forensic Computing at the UK Defence Academy.
- Victoria Brudenell Senior Associate
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Victoria Brudenell has a BA in Modern & Medieval Languages from Cambridge University. Before joining GPW, she worked in Moscow for two leading international companies. Victoria focuses on in-depth intelligence assignments in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS. She is fluent in Russian and French.
- Robert Capper Senior Associate
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Robert Capper graduated from Bristol University with an MSc in International Relations and a BA in History. Before joining GPW, Robert worked at the United Kingdom’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), specialising in counter-terrorism and North African and Middle Eastern security issues. He has broad experience of managing international intelligence assignments in emerging and frontier markets.
- Kate Mallinson Senior Analyst, Political Risk
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Kate Mallinson is a recognised expert on Central Asia, the Caspian and South Caucasus who has worked continuously in the region since 1987 and remains a frequent visitor to key countries on GPW assignments. A former investigative researcher and senior political risk analyst for a leading global risk management consultancy, Kate is fluent in Russian and a frequent commentator on the region. She has an MA in Russian and History from Edinburgh University.
- Rayna Milkova Senior Associate
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Rayna Milkova has an MSc in International Business from the University of London. She has over ten years’ experience of managing international intelligence assignments, focusing on Russia, the CIS and Central and Eastern Europe. Before joining GPW, Rayna was a senior director for a leading global risk management consultancy and before that worked in the corporate practice of a leading international law firm. She is a trilingual Russian, Bulgarian and English speaker.
- Justin Portess Senior Associate, Head of Business Development
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Justin Portess has ten years’ experience in marketing and business development within professional services, including a number of leading international law firms. Prior to joining GPW, Justin was Director of Marketing for a leading global risk management consultancy. Justin spent his early career in the British Army, serving in Northern Ireland, the Balkans and Sierra Leone, and then as a photojournalist. He has a BA in History from the University of York.
- Joana Rego Senior Associate
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Joana Rego has extensive experience of managing international intelligence assignments across Europe and emerging and frontier markets, with a focus on Latin America. She previously spent five years with a leading corporate investigations firm in Brussels and London. Joana spent her early career working as a consultant for the UN Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery and for the OECD, focusing on analysis of development cooperation policies, crisis prevention and good governance. She graduated with an MA in International Affairs from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po) in Paris. In addition to being a trilingual Portuguese, French and English speaker, Joana is also fluent in Spanish and German.
- Chris Robinson Senior Associate
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Chris Robinson has managed international intelligence assignments across a broad range of markets. He previously worked for a leading global risk management consultancy in London and New York with a focus on detailed due diligence for investment bank clients as well as investigations for leading US corporates and other US-based organisations. Chris is a licensed private investigator in the State of New York. He graduated from Cambridge University with an MA in Social and Political Sciences.
- Sophie Tollemache Senior Associate, Head of Operations
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Sophie Tollemache has wide experience of resourcing and managing complex international intelligence assignments for GPW across major jurisdictions and emerging markets. Prior to joining GPW, she had a career in the film and television production industry, more recently working in executive search. Sophie graduated from Oxford University with a BA in Philosophy and Theology.
- Bruno Vickers Senior Associate
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Bruno Vickers has managed international intelligence assignments across a broad range of emerging and frontier markets. Before joining GPW, he worked for a corporate investigations company in Brussels and London. Bruno has a BA in Modern History from Oxford University, an MA in Conflict, Security and Development from King’s College, London, and an MA in EU International Relations and Diplomacy from Collège d’Europe, Belgium. He speaks French and Mandarin.
Advisory Board
- Professor Philip Bobbitt
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Professor Philip Bobbitt has held a number of senior US government appointments over the years. These have included Associate Counsel to President Jimmy Carter, Legal Counsel to the US Senate Iran-Contra Committee, Counsellor on international law at the US State Department under President George Bush Snr and a number of appointments under President Bill Clinton – including as Senior Director for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council. Philip attended Princeton University, Yale Law School and Oxford University. He currently lectures at Columbia Law School and at the University of Texas.
- Nicholas Chance LVO, JP
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Nicholas Chance began his career in the British Army before working in the Central and Eastern European Department of the Financial Times. He is Private Secretary to HRH Prince Michael of Kent, in which role he travels extensively to Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East, enabling him to develop and maintain links in influential political and commercial circles. Nicholas was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) by HM The Queen in the 2005 New Year’s Honours and is a Justice of the Peace (Magistrate).
- Lord Hannay of Chiswick GCMG, CH
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Lord Hannay had a full career in the British Diplomatic Service, which included postings to Iran and Afghanistan and a number of key senior appointments, including Head of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s Middle East department, minister at the British Embassy in Washington DC, Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to the EC and UK Permanent Representative to the UN. Retiring from Diplomatic Service in 1995, Lord Hannay went on to fill a number of senior UK government appointments including Special Representative for Cyprus and the Prime Minister’s Personal Envoy to Turkey. He was also a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on UN Reform. Amongst his current roles, Lord Hannay is a member of the House of Lord’s EU Select Committee, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the UN, Vice-Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the EU, and Joint Convenor of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security and Non-Proliferation.
- Charles Lawton
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Charles Lawton has operated at the top of the legal profession for over two decades. As General Counsel of Rio Tinto plc, he had a wide and varied career including leading the legal team on the US$38 billion company takeover of Alcan and defending Rio Tinto against a hostile bid by BHP Billiton. He was also a member of the senior management team in a number of ground-breaking transactions as well as managing complex litigation in the senior courts in the UK and overseas. He was described by one ‘Magic Circle’ partner as “the General Counsel’s General Counsel”.
- Simon Murray CBE
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Simon Murray is Chairman of Glencore International plc. He has held a number of senior positions, including Group Managing Director of Hutchison Whampoa Ltd and Executive Chairman of Deutsche Bank (Asia Pacific). He now serves on the boards of a number of Asian and European companies. Simon was awarded the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his contribution to the community of Hong Kong. Early in his career he served with distinction in the French Foreign Legion and has been awarded the Order of Merit of the French Republic and is a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.