Our Impactful Work

In 2013/2014, Henry Hogger led a mission from the European Union to conduct a Peer Review of the security sector in Tunisia. As Head of Project (Chef de Projet), he was joined by a team of a dozen sector experts from several Member States, in such fields as policing, intelligence, justice and civil defence. They worked almost entirely in French. The aim of the mission was essentially to make recommendations for the reform of the Tunisian security apparatus, in response to the country’s transformation from dictatorship to democracy, in the wake of the so-called Arab Spring. Their report was well received by the Tunisian authorities, though to some extent it was later overtaken by developments in the political situation.

As a major element of the Transparency International plan to try and tackle corruption in the defence sector, Alan Waldron developed an innovative residential training programme (covering personnel, procurement, governance and operations etc) which, after considerable discussion and effort was accepted for a trial by NATO. Having led and delivered the programme in a sample of countries and finding it exceptionally well received, he then expanded it over many years to deliver in a large number of countries, often fragile states, including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Georgia, Serbia, and Ukraine. He recruited and trained in country staff to deliver and expand the training packages and facilitated the first ever military anti-corruption unit at the National Defence University of Ukraine. The programme has become widely established internationally.

In the early 2020s, Simon Shelley was Head of Learning for the International Policy Faculty in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in-house International Academy. He facilitated online and in-person classroom learning sessions of the Faculty’s material with a broad range of FCDO and other UK Civil Service colleagues in the UK and around the world. These included ‘Country Based’ FCDO colleagues, many of whom were neither British nor had English as their first language. Simon amended the core material to different groups of students, factoring in seniority, previous experience, cultural background and other professional and personal characteristics to ensure he presented the relevant learning in the most engaging way. Positive feedback on his courses often included appreciation of how he had presented the material to the specific audience.

Following a detailed appraisal, Keith Sargent articulated a proposal and won FCO funding for the implementation of TCI’s first ever Integrity Commission. He was appointed by HE the Governor of TCI as the Commission’s first Director, to support a high-level Board of Commissioners (headed by a QC) and develop the Commission’s Executive arm to enable the upholding of standards in public life and investigate violations. Central to his responsibilities was the secure receipt and treatment of declarations of income, assets and liabilities of persons in public life. To this end – and to successfully lay the foundation for the Commission’s operations – he forged appropriate linkages with relevant government bodies (including the Attorney General’s Office, Public Service Commission and Land Registry), directed the procurement and installation of computer systems (hardware and software), oversaw staff recruitment, and asset and staff security, and advised upon declarations. The Commission is now a watch-dog institution enshrined in TCI’s National Constitution.

Professor Rob McCusker was an expert advisor on a two year project for Expertise France (a public international technical cooperation agency within the ambit of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs) as part of its OCWAR – M project (Organised Crime – West Africa Response to Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing), with his role involving assisting the Liberia Financial Intelligence Unit to secure entry into the Egmont Group of global Financial Intelligence Units. In that role Rob was responsible for ensuring that the schedule of tasks created in relation to policy and procedures, systems and controls and people and capability were maintained. Rob worked alongside the Director of the FIU, his staff and with Mentors who sat within the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit and often had to incorporate into the strategic plan issues such as the sudden non-availability and/or changes in personnel, changes to, or delays in, legislation or the impact upon tasks caused by a sudden redeployment of a previously allocated budget. Ultimately, the Financial Intelligence Unit gained entry into the Egmont Group.